Wellness Ambassador of the Month
Angie Padilla, Staff and Faculty Health and Well-being

How long have you worked at UC Davis?

A total of 8 years.

What does health and well-being mean to you? 

To me health and well-being means making choices every day that make us happy and contribute to our physical and mental health. That is, finding the workouts or activities that are fun and we look forward to every day.  

What are some things you do to take care of yourself (how do you practice self-care)? 

I love to run! I took it up years ago and it’s been one of my favorite ways to unwind and take time for myself. In the last year I also joined a new gym and I love the classes; I always feel great afterwards. I took a Midday Mindfulness Meditation class on campus the other day and I felt so refreshed afterwards, so I plan on adding more of this into my self-care practice. Exercise is one of my favorite ways to take care of myself, but my most favorite to take care of myself is spending time with my bulldogs Chocolate and Ringo.  

As a recently graduated student applying for jobs, where do you see yourself in 5 years?  

There are so many things I hope to have accomplished in 5 years, but I really hope to be in a job that I’m excited about and that will give me the opportunity to learn and grow! I really enjoy collaborating with other people, and one of my greatest passions in public health lies with older adults, so I see myself working as part of a program that towards improving the quality of life for older adults and their families by making health services more accessible. 

Do you think you will take away anything from worksite well-being or from the Wellness Ambassador program as you start your career in public health? 

Definitely! I’ve enjoyed learning about the importance of health and well-being in the workplace. The Wellness Ambassadors really have a passion for promoting a healthy workplace and I hope some of that has rubbed off on me. It can be really hard for me to pull myself away from my work sometimes, but I’ve learned that taking time throughout the workday to get up and move or to take a little mental break, will make me much more productive and much happier at work. Wellness Ambassadors are wonderful role models for a healthy lifestyle, and I’d love to be that kind of role model for my colleagues as well.  

What was your favorite project to work on at Staff and Faculty Health and Well-being and why?  

This is a tough question because I really liked all the projects I worked on! I guess if I had to pick, I would say my favorite was working on the monthly Wellness Ambassador newsletter, it felt like an art project and I always looked forward to creating a new one each month. I also really enjoyed any project that involved a lot of organization. I’m an organizer so I really like projects that that I could get lost in. I like to see all the parts of a project come together, it’s kind of like a puzzle. I especially enjoyed the projects that created something that others would get a lot of use out of.