Barcu Named Aggie Well-Being Champion

Doctoral student Anca Barcu has been named an Aggie Well-Being Champion. Barcu is earning her Ph.D. with Jennifer Funk and Tom Buckley, both professors in the UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences.

“This award celebrates instructors and teaching assistants who have demonstrated exceptional dedication to embedding well-being into the learning environment, …fostering a culture where students and educators can thrive,” wrote Shantille Connolly, associate director of Health Promotion, the awarding unit within the Department of Student Health and Counseling Services. “Your nomination is a testament to your impactful contributions and your unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of our campus community.”

Barcu has been active as a mentor and in leadership roles in numerous student organizations at UC Davis. In addition, she has led organizations and organized events internationally, drawing from her experiences growing up on a small farm in Romania and her years as a volunteer with CISV International, an organization that fosters inter-cultural understanding and friendship among youth as an essential step toward world peace.

“There were moments when I was very stressed out as an undergrad and it led to a very unproductive period,” Barcu recalled. “I didn’t want that for anyone. As a result, I tried to remind my students to take breaks, have fun and take advantage of the resources here at UC Davis.

“I did my best to work with them in the lab as time permitted and to be available for questions not just related to the work at hand, but also about research in general, grad school, classes and success,” Barcu explained. “We had meals together, shared music, laughed a lot, helped each other out and became good friends as we navigated fun and not-so-fun challenges.”

In the award letter to Barcu, Connolly wrote: “The Aggie Well-Being Champion Award recognizes those who take concrete steps to support student well-being by: using policies and practices that promote health and well-being, improving access to and awareness of health and well-being resources, centering accessibility and inclusivity in their teaching, and modeling taking care of their own health and well-being.

“Your leadership in these areas is truly inspiring and deserving of this honor.”

Award is "bittersweet"

The award is bittersweet, Barcu said: One of the several students who nominated her was Lincoln Sabini, a second-year undergrad student in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources who became a friend. Sabini died April 13 as a result of a collision with a vehicle while he was riding his bicycle.