Second Annual Wolfpack Wellness Awards Celebrate NC State Wellness Initiatives

Thursday brought a chilly, overcast morning to NC State’s campus, but the atmosphere in Talley Student Union’s Coastal Ballroom was festive and bright. 

Students, faculty and staff from across campus gathered for the second annual Wolfpack Wellness Awards, hosted by Wellness and Recreation and University Human Resources, to celebrate the work of the Wellness Advisory Committee along with individuals and organizations across campus to promote wellness. 

“We never had a place to celebrate, recognize everyone, distribute those wellness awards and so we thought this would be a great idea,” said Shannon DuPree, Wellness and Recreation’s director of wellness. 

After honoring those tasked with implementing NC State’s Wellness Strategic Plan, over 90 Wolfpack Wellness Badge winners were honored, including students, faculty and staff.

The Wolfpack Wellness Badge program “recognizes the completion of engagement experiences that expand personal knowledge across the six elements of wellness: purpose, financial, physical, emotional, social and community.” The program gives members of the NC State community opportunities to experience wellness-promoting activities both on and off campus, and earning the badge demonstrates a commitment to personal health and wellness. 

Wellness Champions were honored next with awards. The program is made up of faculty and staff members who promote wellness in their unit or department by promoting university-wide wellness initiatives, sharing and encouraging participation in wellness activities with their colleagues. This program recently received the inaugural Faculty/Staff Well-being Program of the Year Award from the Institute for Well-Being.

The Wellness Champions were awarded in three categories – Brickyard Level Champions, Centennial Level Champions and Belltower Level Champions – and presented by Assistant Director of Wellness Alexis Steptoe and Benefits Childcare and Perks Coordinator Kelly Vance.

Brickyard Level Champions: Cassandra McIntyre, Connie Fowler, Dasa Sewill

Domonique Carter, Kamilah Heslop, Katie Cartmell, Pablo Campos, Reva Dunn, Samantha Blackburn, Susan Uy.

Centennial Level Champions: Alexa DeFalco, Andrea Hoch, Carla Monroe, Darien Bradley, Elan Sandler, Janet Zevallos, Jill Jones, Jimmy Wright, Jonathan Casper, Laura Garey

Laura Shachtman, McKenzy Lilliock, Meggie Metcalf, Renee Harrington, Savannah Matherly

Tammie Maurice, Zach Baker.

Belltower Level Champions: Angela Hallman, Cortney Hagans, Dan Passonno, David Herpy, Emily Anderson, Janice Sitzes, Megan Halbohm, Melody Woodyard, Nancy Haworth, Nikki Kurdys, Rebecca Brown, Serena Hodge.

“It’s very special,” DuPree said. “Whether you receive an award or not, it’s about taking a moment to celebrate yourself and the work of others around you.”

DuPree pointed out that this awards ceremony is also an opportunity to raise awareness about wellness initiatives on campus. 

One of these initiatives is Well Wolfpack Certified Organizations, which “offers workplaces and student organizations the opportunity to infuse holistic wellbeing practices into their college, department, unit or group and earn recognition for their efforts.”

Both workplaces and student organizations were honored at bronze, silver and gold levels during Wednesday’s awards ceremony.

Workplaces

Bronze: Department of Chemistry, University Housing.

Silver: Center for Integrated Pest Management, DASA Human Resources, Health and Exercise Studies.

Gold: Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center, Campus Health, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, College of Sciences IT, DELTA, NC State Continuing and Lifelong Education, Prevention Services, University Human Resources, Wellness and Recreation.

Student Organizations 

Bronze: Bangladeshi Student Sports Club, Bangladesh Student Association

The BoardMinds Club, Korean Student Organization, Pack Hockey Community, Real Estate Investing Club, Spikeball at NC State.

Silver: Club Swim Team of NC State University, Eco+Pack, Epsilon Eta Iota Chapter, Fusion Dance Crew, Pack Pals at NC State, NC State Disc Golf Club, Pre-Veterinary Medical Association at North Carolina State University, Society of Women Engineers, SOL Garden.

Gold: Active Minds at NC State, Alpha Phi Omega, College of Sciences Ambassador Program

Horticulture Club, Presbyterian Campus Ministry, SKY Campus Happiness, Vietnamese Student Association.

In addition to those student organizations, the awards ceremony honored NC State’s Mental Health Ambassadors program, a group of students trained by Prevention Services and tasked with organizing presentations on campus and providing peer-to-peer education about mental health topics with remarks from a current Mental Health Ambassador, Reagan Griffin. 

The ceremony included a speech from Student Government Director of Wellness Ria Bakshi, and closed with remarks from Abigail Booker and Savannah Powers, two students involved with the NC State chapter of Active Minds, an organization committed to student-led initiatives to create cultures supportive of mental health on college campuses. 

“We get a chance to spotlight student leaders who are really doing a lot of amazing things in that space, and so to shine a light on them is also a very special thing,” DuPree said.

To get your team Well Wolfpack Certified and committed to wellness, complete the Well Wolfpack Certified form.