Our Team
Tanisha Freeman, MBA, LSSYB
Director of Health and Wellbeing
940-898-3845
Email Tanisha Freeman
Tanisha Freeman on Linkedin
At an early age Saturday morning cartoons introduced us to critical concepts in navigating friendships and all the ways in which we show up for the world, with shows like Sesame Street & The Care Bears teaching us Sharing is Caring. While this remains true, we must also mindfully grant ourselves permission to focus inward when needed. Personal growth and self-healing is often the starting place for living in our purpose and being driven by our compassion. Pouring from a full cup allows us to constructively show up for self and others as we navigate our experiences.
Francilia Brito Silva, Ph.D., CHWC
Assistant Director of Health and Wellbeing Initiative - Operations
346-202-2939
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Francilia on LinkedIn
"When I understood that I should daily nourish my body, mind, and spirit to find balance and properly offer my best to others and myself, I started to have better health and wellbeing. Currently, that is self-care for me, managing to invest adequate amounts of energy in all these three areas."
Kara Belt
Business Manager
940-898-3388
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Kara on LinkedIn
"Keeping my overall wellbeing balanced is a challenge, but rewarding when it actually happens! Making healthy eating choices and taking daily time for creativity helps me a great deal, which in turn allows me to support others better. I like encouraging others to find a creative outlet for their mental health. Knitting, embroidery, and quilting are my favorite self-care activities.”
Vandagriff Scholars
Named in honor of the late Jaqueline Rae Vandagriff, former TWU student and nutrition major, the program seeks to support TWU students who have an interest in health and wellbeing. As part of their experience, the Vandagriff Nutrition Scholar mentors the A Nourishing Space (ANS)’s student coaches. ANS is a one-on-one wellness coaching program offered through Health and Wellbeing Initiative. Free to TWU students, it provides experiential learning for students majoring in Nutrition, Health Studies, and/or Kinesiology.
“The Vandagriff Endowment allows us to provide life-changing experiences to students while providing a valuable resource of service to our university community,” said Michelle Kelly, Director of the Health and Wellbeing Initiative.
Meet the Vandagriff Scholar
Jason Liu
Ph.D. candidate in Kinesiology
My name is Jason Liu, and I am a Ph.D. candidate in Kinesiology at TWU. I am also a Certified Personal Trainer through NASM. I am passionate about exercise and love cooking healthy meals. I believe your capacity is closely tied to your physical condition and the nutritious food you eat. To stay healthy and FIT, you might see me around campus or at Fit & Rec. As part of a global health initiative, "Exercise is Medicine" is based on the belief that physical activity is essential for optimal health and plays a key role in preventing and treating many medical conditions. Let's join ANS in promoting healthy behaviors: Eat Well, Move Well, and Mind Well to Live Well.
Support, Service and Collaboration
In addition to HWI departmental staff, we have a team of graduate assistants, student employees, and student coaches that build our online content and assist with over 60 programming/educational events per year. TWU faculty and staff regularly support the initiative by serving in one of our core theme areas: Build Well, Eat Well, Mind Well, Move Well, or Spend Well. Finally, we frequently collaborate with campus partners on all three campuses to advocate for community wellbeing.
Page last updated 4:42 PM, October 25, 2024