Appetizers

Starting with some basics.

Fun Starters

Getting to know the human side.

Main Course

A quick deep dive into the day-to-day job.

Tell us about yourself and your job.

As a Health and Wellness Coordinator, I promote health, wellness, and safety to the employees onsite and remotely. I work with the onsite health clinic promoting health and wellness, provide support for health clinical services, and work with various onsite projects such as COVID-19 prevention programs. I collaborate with various teams such as Global Health Services, HR, Environmental Health & Safety, and Facilities.

How did you end up in your field? What do you like about it?

I knew I wanted to help people and wasn't sure in what field, but I noticed my health and well-being degrade as I started my first year of college. The big transition of moving out of my hometown by myself and into a quarter system affected me entirely. I started doing my own research on YouTube on how to take care of myself holistically and wanted to share this.

I started working at The Zone (UCSD's student health and wellness lounge) promoting health & wellness. Seeing the impact I made on students made me want to continue exploring this field - Public Health.

What does a typical morning look like on the job?

I start off by checking emails, then checking my calendar to see how the day looks like. I may have some reoccurring weekly meetings to be up to date on changes/projects/programs. Depending on that, I continue working on tasks or projects assigned to me by my GHS Site Lead. Every day doesn't look the same and things are always changing. I collaborate a lot with other coordinators from other sites in CA, so I have some coworkers in LA, OC, and the bay.

Cool, then what does a typical afternoon look like?

The afternoon slows down a bit sometimes, but I use that time to do some training or work on any health promotional tasks needed for our site. This involves marketing skills and creativity. I will also follow up on some tasks/emails that need to be attended to. At some point, I will touch base with my site lead on what is happening next, and ensure I am ready for the next day. Since everyday is kind of different, I need to be ready on my toes for the next thing.

What types of projects and meetings are you involved in?

My work is usually project and administration-based. I am involved in project meetings, trainings based on the project, and national global health services meetings for updates. I meet with my CA campus every two weeks and stay up to date with other coordinators. All meetings are very related to public health protocols and programs. Everything is to ensure the health and well-being of our employees is effective.

Who do you collaborate with within meetings and projects?

I love the collaboration within my meetings and projects, especially my coordinator team. All of the people I have working within my site are so kind of easy to work with. We have meetings where we are doing training together, touching base so we are all on the same page, and providing feedback to learn our best practices. There are times where I work independently, but also a good amount of time I am meeting in a team, which I enjoy a great amount. I feel that my thoughts are heard and a great amount of collaboration is in the works.

Dessert

Now for some juicy insights in the tea room.

What's the most challenging thing about your job?

Since everything is different every day, it is kind of challenging to always be flexible and on your toes. Not every day looks the same, so since I don't have a routine always, I may miss some things I need to do. I try to prevent this by prioritizing tasks and having a checklist organized even for the tasks that have fallen off the bandwagon. Having a positive attitude on changes helps a lot, and having a team that is going through it with you makes me feel supported. Like my boss always says, "keep on keeping on!"

What are some characteristics that can help someone succeed in your role?

Positive attitude, the passion for helping others, organization with logistics, programming and projects, flexibility, and willingness to learn.

Any advice on how to stand out and get hired for those just starting off?

Don't afraid to be yourself especially in interviews. Have people (even your friends) critique your resume and help you with interviewing. Reach out to others in your field on LinkedIn. Your experience from your student orgs is still a notable experience to talk about, especially if you were in a leadership position. Don't forget that your passion/side activities are helpful in the real world!

What's something that surprised you about your job?

How flexible I would need to be, especially in this pandemic. But to me, it kind of makes work exhilarating! Also, since my company is international, I was amazed at how big this company is!

Any last thoughts, advice, or recommendations for someone who wants to do what you do?

Always be open to learning something new because that is how you will grow. Push yourself out of your comfort zone and look back on your faults to see how you can do better.

Try not to compare yourself to others because like popcorn, we're all kernels popping at different times, and your time will come. So while you are waiting enjoy what you're doing at the moment and trust the process. For instance, I felt like in my interviewing journey, constantly interviewing for positions helped me practice for bigger interviews in the future. So stay resilient and keep on keeping on!

Drinks

Chat more over coffee or tea?