After eleven years working in the Wellness Center, Michelle Marino says, “I love working here. Every day is different and new and the people are so interesting.” Michelle is the Health and Fitness Coordinator at Carolina Meadows. Her enthusiasm is palpable.

Michelle, who grew up in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, came to North Carolina to undertake an internship program at Duke University. She later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology with a minor in Gerontology at Slippery Rock University, Pennsylvania in 2003. A year later she arrived on staff at Carolina Meadows.

Maintaining the smooth running of the Center’s Health and Fitness activities involves an oversight of contractors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, program calendars, functional fitness programs and personal training. She also teaches classes in Stretch-and-Tone, Arthritis Aquatics, Cycling or “spin classes,” and Walking Challenge programs involving long walks off campus within the Triangle as well as walks here at home on our own campus. The Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, a one-mile, brisk campus walk is one of the ongoing favorites at the Meadows.

Michelle served on the Arthritis Foundation Committee and the Triangle Planning Committee for two years.

At the end of an active workday, Michelle goes home to Durham where her husband, their eight-year old daughter, Bella, and an equally important family member, a beloved Husky-mix dog, await the news of her day.