#CaltechTogether: Jaeyoung Kang

“Being a health advocate means I am, in part, responsible for the well-being of my friends and housemates in Avery House. I consider the health advocate position both an incredible honor and a heavy responsibility due to the solemn nature of emergency medical response. With COVID-19 sending us back home, I think the position has shifted to put more emphasis on being a resource for mental health as well as physical health. While I can't be with my housemates directly, I've been active on our house's main means of remote communications to spread the word that we are still available. I’ve considered it especially important during this time to promote healthy habits, like regular exercise, while we are all stuck at home. To that end, I’ve organized remote meetings for any interested housemates to regularly practice Filipino Martial Arts (FMA). These meetings have been an engaging way to stay fit while getting some much-needed social interaction. When people show up to these meetings, it truly uplifts me, because we're all working together on a hobby we're passionate about. These sessions have definitely been a source of encouragement for me over these past couple of months. I'm sure that the other housemates who attend also enjoy these meetings; we get to stretch our legs and see each other's faces!” 

Jaeyoung Kang is a senior majoring in chemistry. As a health advocate for Avery House, he has undergone training in emergency response and preventative physical and mental health skills through Caltech’s Health Advocate Program.  

#CaltechTogether is a special edition of #SoCaltech spotlighting the many ways members of our community are joining together to support one another and to take responsibility for our collective health and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.