Veronica is a Wellbeing Team member and a faculty member in the Health and Physical Education Division at Clark College.

She grew up in Vancouver, playing outside nearly every day. Although she was not involved in formal sports or athletics, she loved moving her body and playing games like hide-and-seek. She relates best to her students who like to be active, but not in a super competitive way or overly focused on increasing performance. Veronica loves to hike, run and play games. She is passionate about helping people find their health and fitness joy and looks forward to participating on this team to contribute to the wellbeing of fellow Penguins.

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Vanessa is a Wellbeing Team member and a Human Resource Consultant at Clark College. Her commitment to wellbeing is an ongoing process she continues to learn more about.

She said, "I am motivated by my large Filipino family, which is my collective support system, constantly gathering around food."

Vanessa's household is active with kids and pets keeping her moving. Her love for the Pacific Northwest helps her find balance and calm. Whether clamming, hiking, camping, or adventuring to outdoor concerts, she enjoys the local sights and the fresh air of the Pacific Northwest.

Her superpower is being able to fall asleep in a matter of seconds. She credits having a regular nighttime routine free from technology and pets. She looks forward to promoting wellbeing to the college community and being able to collaborate with folks, who, like herself, are still learning to find the balance between everyday life and wellbeing.

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Dr. Evelyn Buschur moved frequently due to her father's career in the U.S. Coast Guard. When the family was relocated to Hawaii, she learned about Hawaiian folk remedies for illnesses. Evelyn's childhood dream was to become either a scientist or a doctor.

While attending the University of Maine, Evelyn pursued a career in science, and worked in various grant-funded labs, but sporadic funding led her to refocus on medical school. When she saw her brother training to regain his health in a hospital setting, she realized that she did not want to pursue a career in conventional medicine. Instead, she rediscovered folk remedies and found naturopathic medicine. She graduated from UMaine with a degree in biochemistry and moved to Portland, OR where she attended and graduated from the National College of Naturopathic Medicine with a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine.

Dr. Buschur began her practice in Portland. She also began teaching at Portland Community College in 2006 and then at Clark College in 2016. She moved her private practice to Camas, WA. Eventually, she stopped teaching at Clark to become the Advanced Medical Practitioner for Clark College's Health Center, which provides services at no cost or low cost.

Her goal for the Counseling and Health Center (CHC) is to provide students with high quality primary healthcare including immunizations, testing, physical exams, naturopathic health care, management of acute and chronic health concerns, and prescriptions.

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An East Coaster by birth, Jill spent 13 years in Boston. In summer 2021, she packed up her two cats (Enzo and Frank) and made the cross-country drive with her partner to Portland, Oregon, where she now calls home. She is excited to be a part of the Clark Wellbeing Team. She said, "I really want to challenge our community to think about health and wellness in a more nuanced way."

Jill has managed various forms of anxiety and disordered eating for a good part of her life, and as a result, she is passionate about destigmatizing mental health issues and speaking out against fatphobia and sizeism. Ultimately, she aims to consider the intersection of disability, race, class, and gender as it relates to how we conceptualize health. She would love to talk more about these ideas. Please email Jill if you want any recommendations for books, podcasts, or activists to follow; or if you have any for her.

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Mike is originally from the Upper Midwest, but he has called the Pacific Northwest home for almost 14 years. He values wellness in his own life, but he recognizes that the concept of wellness varies for each person, based on their life circumstances, identities (race, gender, class, dis/ability, age, sexual orientation, etc.), belief systems, and access to resources.

Mike says the concept of wellness is holistic. Being active physically is tied to his mental and emotional health. It means eating healthful, delicious food that nourishes his body and honors the dignity of living beings, both human and non-human. Wellness also relates to fulfilling relationships with loved ones, his work, his intellectual curiosity, his need for adventure, and having time for enjoyable activities.

Mike said, "Keeping these dimensions in balance is my wellness journey as I view each component as vital to my overall health."

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Valentina is a faculty counselor and Wellness Team member at Clark College. She has always been interested in wellness and learning about how to help others feel their best.

Originally from Ukraine, she grew up surrounded by diverse cultures with many different ideas on wellness. This helped shape her beliefs about wellness and how to improve health. About four years ago, she moved to the Pacific Northwest and discovered she was missing a big piece of wellness—being in nature. She loves spending time outdoors with her family, hanging out near water, walking through forests, and watching the seasons change. She has assessed other aspects of wellness and found tools and supports to help her make the best choices for her own body and life.

Valentina already is facilitating several workshops on wellness at Clark and is excited to join this team to help engage the Clark community in their own wellness journeys.

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Tre grew up in Arkansas and Missouri and received his bachelor's degree in Creative Writing from the University of Central Arkansas. He has not had a family unit for some time but is a proponent of "friends being the family we choose."

The two primary dimensions of wellness he has most struggled with and focused on are mental and financial. He has learned how to reinforce the healthy parts he exhibits from both dimensions (introspection and frugality) and address the unhealthy practices that stem from them: cyclical self-devaluing, rigidity, and neglecting his own needs.

Tre said, "I'm in no way done with my own journey, but I'm hopeful I'll be able to contribute meaningfully to the Well-Being Team and help foster a more compassionate campus for all folks here at Clark College."

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