Our Team
Michelle Kelly, Ph.D.
Director of Health and Wellbeing
940-898-2221
mkelly22@twu.edu
wellbeing@twu.edu
Michelle on LinkedIn
“Juggling school, work, and family can make wellbeing feel like an add-on. If I have time, I will work out. One day, I will learn how to manage my finances., etc. What I have come to discover is that health and wellbeing are absolutes. I am a better colleague, student, and mom when I prioritize my own self-care. This is not about being perfect, but it is about learning to thrive so that I can better serve the people around me. That act of serving starts with me.”
Francilia Brito Silva, Ph.D.
Assistant Director of Health and Wellbeing Initiative - Operations
346-202-2939
fbritosilva@twu.edu
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
Kbelt2@twu.edu
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
Miteshri Prajapati
Nutrition Sciences, doctoral student
Hello, I am Miteshri Prajapati, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences at the Texas Woman’s University. It is my absolute honor to be serving as the graduate Vandagriff Nutrition Scholar starting in 2020 and continue into the academic year 2023-2024. As a firm believer in “Holistic Health,” my approach has always been to emphasize on the mind, body, spirit connection. My role as a Vandagriff scholar is to help all the students like myself achieve optimal wellness. My long-term goal is to graduate from TWU and make my research and work experience instrumental in developing and enhancing nutrition education programs in developing countries.
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 3:25 PM, March 5, 2024