Meet the Team
SHOP professional and student staff are your go-to crew for all things health and well-being related. We bring good vibes and show how it’s possible to live your best campus life. Think of us as your harm-reduction hype team—minus the lab coats, plus a whole lot of energy (and maybe some free swag thrown in!).
We’re here to make college health make sense—and actually fun! From workshops to wellness weeks, pop-ups to podcasts, we’re here to help YOU thrive, not just survive college. Finding balance as a college student is possible, and we’re here to help.
Our team includes a Director and two Health Promotion Specialists, along with our fantastic student teams of peer educators.
Meg Kobe, M.A.T.
Director
Pronouns: She/Her
Email: mkobe@ucsc.edu
Phone: (831) 549-3772
As the Director of Student Health Outreach & Promotion (SHOP), Meg is responsible for developing and managing a comprehensive set of health promotion, outreach, and education services that contribute to students’ academic and developmental success, affirming the University’s commitment to the retention, success, and graduation of students.
Learn more about Meg
Meg holds a B.S. in Community Health Education from Utah State University and an M.A.T. in Health Education from Oregon State University. With over 30 years of experience as a Health Educator, her background includes community health work and several years of teaching middle and high school health education in Oregon. She has worked at UCSC for over 20 years and continues to be inspired by the campus’s diverse and engaged student body.
Her favorite part of the work is providing students with a welcoming, non-judgmental space. Supporting those with questions or concerns—and helping them explore their options with care—is deeply rewarding. Meg feels immense gratitude for the students who work and volunteer at SHOP each year.
Outside of work, Meg enjoys spending time in nature—swimming, hiking, camping, and traveling. She also loves being with her family, and her dog Ruby proudly rules the household.
Emily Giovanelli, MPH/MSW
Mental Health Educator
Pronouns: She/Her
Email: egiovane@ucsc.edu
Phone: (831) 459-4679
Emily is the Mental Health Educator at Student Health Outreach & Promotion (SHOP) at UC Santa Cruz. A proud Banana Slug and former transfer student, Emily earned her degrees in Psychology and History of Art and Visual Culture (HAVC) at UCSC. During her undergraduate years, she worked with the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, supporting alternative education students with health education and college readiness programming.
Learn more about Emily
After graduation, Emily served in AmeriCorps in the Bay Area for two years. In her second year, she worked as a health educator in a school-based health center in Oakland, focusing on sexual health education, including birth control and STI information.
Emily went on to earn a Master of Public Health and a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. While there, she served as a wellness coach, supporting students with stress reduction, sleep hygiene, body image, and harm reduction strategies related to alcohol and other drugs. After three Michigan winters, she returned to California, bringing her experience and warmth back to the UCSC community.
In her role at SHOP, Emily aims to cultivate a campus culture where students feel supported, empowered, and free to be their authentic selves. She is passionate about creating inclusive, student-centered spaces and believes mental health must be understood in the context of the broader systems students navigate every day.
Outside of work, Emily enjoys reading, cooking, embroidery, and walking along West Cliff. She is also a devoted fan of the lemon sugar cookie ice cream sandwich from Curbside Creamery in Oakland—and isn’t above making the drive to get one.
Elisa Worland, ASW
Health Promotion Specialist
Alcohol/Other Drug/Harm Reduction
Pronouns: She/They
Email: eworland@ucsc.edu
Elisa Worland joined the Student Health Outreach & Promotion (SHOP) Office at UC Santa Cruz in 2025 as a Health Promotion Specialist, focusing on harm reduction and substance use prevention. In her role, Elisa supervises the Party Safe team, responds to student inquiries regarding substances (from harm reduction to recovery), and advocates for university policies that foster a safe and healthy campus environment.
Learn more about Elisa
A native of the Bay Area, Elisa completed her undergraduate studies at Smith College, where she majored in Government and Spanish, and was actively involved in the student-run mental health organization on campus. After college, she stumbled into the mental health field and found she had a passion for it. Elisa went on to earn her Master’s in Social Work from Portland State University, with a focus on Community-Based Practice. She served in the Peace Corps as a Community Health Volunteer in Paraguay from 2016 to 2020, spending much of her time teaching youth about sexual and reproductive health. Most recently, she worked with Purdue Extension as a Health & Human Sciences/Community Development Extension Educator in Indiana and led efforts to address substance use and increase access to recovery supports in her county.
Elisa is dedicated to creating vibrant, healthy, and connected communities and is particularly interested in tackling systems-level challenges that affect health and well-being. When she’s not at work, Elisa can be found biking around town, generating a mess in the kitchen, or camping.
SHOP student team
At the heart of SHOP’s work is a passionate team of student staff who help bring our mission to life. From hosting events to creating educational content, each role plays a key part in supporting student well-being. Learn more about our peer educators.
Slug Love
Promotes healthy relationships and sexual wellness through peer education and campus outreach.
SHOP Talk
Promotes positive mental health behaviors such as coping skills and self-compassion so that students can thrive on campus.
Party Safe
Support harm reduction efforts through peer-to-peer education around alcohol and other drugs.
SHOP office student staff
Welcome students into the space, connect them with resources, and provide a friendly and supportive presence.
Recruitment for the 2025–26 SHOP student staff team is now closed. In the meantime, we encourage you to attend SHOP events, visit our space, and connect with current student staff to learn more about our work and impact on campus.
Future opportunities will be posted on Handshake. Contact shop@ucsc.edu if you are interested in learning more about SHOP student team positions.