Peer Health Advocates
Peer Health Advocates (PHAs) are a team of NASPA-Certified Peer Educators supporting and encouraging holistic student health and well-being across campus through culturally responsive programming, projects, and one-on-one meetings. Email us at cmupha@andrew.cmu.edu.
Our guiding values are:
Honesty
Empathy
Autonomy
Respect
Teamwork
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Peer Support Meetings
Students can schedule to meet with a Peer Health Advocate for things like:
- Practice setting and communicating boundaries
- Navigating on and off campus resources
- Brainstorming mindfulness and meditation tools
- Reviewing and demonstrating safer sex tools
- Generating tasty, satisfying, and accessible meal and snack ideas
PHAs can meet wherever feels most comfortable for you - be it a coffee shop, walking around the track, a private room in the Health Promotion office, or on Zoom.
Meet the Undergraduate PHAs
Undergraduate and graduate students can schedule with whomever they prefer. Undergrads can schedule with grads and vice versa!
Amara Vergara Agyakwa (she/her)
Sophmore, Business Administration
Sophmore, Business Administration
Languages: English
Interests: Gym, Baking, Walks
Interests: Gym, Baking, Walks
Ashley (Ash) Gelber (they/them)
Senior, PsychologyLanguages: English
Interests: Theater, Video Games, Cooking, Mental Health Advocacy
Senior, PsychologyLanguages: English
Interests: Theater, Video Games, Cooking, Mental Health Advocacy
Mani Chinesom
Junior, Business Administration
Junior, Business Administration
Yuxi 'Sissi' Zhen (she/her)
First Year, DietrichLanguages: Mandarin Chinese, English
Interests: Singing, Dancing, Muscials, Crochet, Watching movies
First Year, DietrichLanguages: Mandarin Chinese, English
Interests: Singing, Dancing, Muscials, Crochet, Watching movies
Eshita Solanki (she/her)
Junior, BiologyLanguages: Gujarati, English
Interests: Football fan, Watching movies
Junior, BiologyLanguages: Gujarati, English
Interests: Football fan, Watching movies
Xochitl Zazueta (she/her)
Senior, CIT - Mechanical EngineeringLanguages: English, Spanish
Interests: Robotics, Biology, Dancing, Art
Senior, CIT - Mechanical EngineeringLanguages: English, Spanish
Interests: Robotics, Biology, Dancing, Art
Meet the Graduate PHAs
Graduate and undergraduate students can schedule with whomever they prefer. Grads can schedule with undergrads and vice versa!
Sai Ghule (she/her)
Heinz - Information Systems Management
Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi
Interests: Traveling, Fashion, Archaeology
Heinz - Information Systems Management
Languages: English, Hindi, Marathi
Interests: Traveling, Fashion, Archaeology
Siva Komaragiri (he/him)
Heinz - Health Care Analytics and Information Technology
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu
Heinz - Health Care Analytics and Information Technology
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu
Anushka Mehta (she/her)
Heinz - Information Systems Management
Languages: English, Hindi
Interests: Art, History, Philosophy, Bollywood
Heinz - Information Systems Management
Languages: English, Hindi
Interests: Art, History, Philosophy, Bollywood
Harsh Vaibhav Nallanthighal (he/him)
College of Engineering - Energy Science, Technology and Policy
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu
College of Engineering - Energy Science, Technology and Policy
Languages: English, Hindi, Telugu
Interests: Reading, Music, Energy, Environment and Sustainability, Baking
Hossein Khoshhal (he/him)
Heinz - Public Policy and Management - Data Analytics
Languages: Farsi, English
Heinz - Public Policy and Management - Data Analytics
Languages: Farsi, English
Interests: Classical guitar, Sketching, Tea Brewing
Aasdeep Singh (he/him)
MS Business Analytics
Languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi
MS Business Analytics
Languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi
Interests: Cooking, Soccer
Enora (she/her)
Master of Computational Data Science
Languages: English, French
Master of Computational Data Science
Languages: English, French
Interests: Hiking, Horse-riding, Animals
Highlights of the PHA Program
The PHA program began as a student organization and has evolved over the years with input from students. PHAs are now paid employees of University Health Services, working as liaisons and a resource for campus health and well-being.
Additionally, the program has shifted from group education to a one-on-one support model, including text support, drop-in visits, and scheduled consultations.
The PHAs engage in their support of students using a specialist model, including but not limited to the following areas:
- Disability Resources
- Sexual Health
- Mindfulness and Mental Health
- Nutrition
In addition to the undergraduate program, graduate students are now active in PHA roles to support graduate student health and wellbeing.
The PHA program offers a credited mini-course that teaches the foundations of peer education (99-121). Course enrollment is open to all students and required for PHAs.