Student Health Ambassador
Student Health Ambassadors (SHAs) work as part of a regional effort with UNC Asheville and MAHEC (Mountain Area Health Education Center) to promote health and well-being on campus, including responding to COVID-19. The goal of this position is to engage students in health promotion and assist in establishing a campus culture of wellness and care. In Fall 2022, a campus health assessment survey showed that most students struggle with mental health and isolation, topics which will be a major focus of the SHA program in the Spring ‘23 semester. Approximately 9 students will be hired in this position, joining a team of 5 continuing SHAs. Applications will be evaluated once the posting closes and interviews will be scheduled over winter break via Zoom. We currently have specific needs in the following areas: communication and marketing, graphic design, and interest in collaborating with campus partners. Priority will be given to Sophomores and Juniors who can commit to the spring semester through their graduation.
SHAs will be paid $13 an hour and work an average of 6 hours per week starting January 2023 until early May 2023, and continuing the entire following academic year until graduation. They will receive training from campus and community leaders and work in teams to promote public health, provide general wellness and COVID education, programming, and communication.
Please note: SHAs are not expected to provide medical care or enforce campus policies but rather to lead by example, model positive behaviors, and engage in conversations and education with peers.
SHAs are expected to:
- Participate in training to understand public health, health education and promotion, COVID-19 and its prevention, and campus resources available to students
- Engage in potentially difficult conversations regarding health behavior and health topics with empathy and respect
- Support students in quarantine and isolation by helping to meet non-medical needs such as meal delivery and social support
- Develop social media and print health communication materials on a regular basis
- Provide feedback to campus leaders about the student experience
- Work in teams and receive training that supports a specialized focus such as Communications, Equity, and Research
- Minimum time commitment requirements:
- Develop and implement individual and team projects and events on a weekly basis (one SHA project per week is expected)
- Communicate regularly with teammates and supervisors via group text/app and email
- Attend weekly one-hour meetings in-person in the Health & Wellness department
- Attend monthly 1.5-hour trainings (“huddles”) virtually
- Work at least 1 weekly tabling shift at the SHA table in Highsmith or Sherrill
- Support supervisors and MAHEC in collecting data about the impact and effectiveness of the SHA program
Ideal candidates are:
- Sophomores and Juniors able to commit to the position until graduation
- From a variety of majors, backgrounds, and hold diverse identities
- Committed, reliable, detail-oriented, self-motivated and motivating of others
- Grounded in a strong desire to help others
- Able to work independently and as part of a team
- Strong communicators
- Knowledgeable of campus culture
- Willing to reach out to and connect with students they may not know
- Able to participate in regular meetings, trainings, and continuing education
- Willing to say “I don’t know, but let me find out and get back to you” and then follow through
To apply, please submit a brief resume (no more than 1 page) listing paid, volunteer, co-curricular, and/or academic experiences along with your responses to the following questions (no more than 1 page total, single spaced). Please submit each 1 page document as a PDF through Handshake. Direct any questions about the position or application to Tracy George at tgeorge2@unca.edu.
- What has your experience as a college student during the COVID-19 pandemic been like?
- How would you use your experience to help others in the areas of health, well-being and mental wellness?
- What creative ideas do you have to promote well-being on campus, including social isolation?
- What specific interests or skills would you bring to this position? For example, this could include (but isn’t limited to) graphic design, event planning, research, social media, leadership, social justice, language fluency, etc.
- What campus connections do you have or what campus roles have you held? For example, RA, student organization member, intramural team player, etc.
- Are you able to consistently commit an average of 6 hours per week to this role until you graduate?