Kindness stones setup Dec.4 on the Edinburg Campus Diego Montano / Vaquero Radio
Students took a break from end-of-semester anxieties inside the Student Union Wednesday during the Kindness Stones event.
The School of Rehabilitation Services and Counseling hosted the event and invited students to decorate rocks with uplifting messages and supportive imagery.
The event focused on creating a calming environment ahead of Finals Week by letting students express themselves through art while also spreading positivity across campus.
Addiction studies and criminal justice senior and a student employee in the School of Rehabilitation Amber Mora said the event connected to a similar feature at her building.
“We also have, like, a little rock garden at our building,” Mora said. “So, we’re at the Health Affairs West Building, and in front of there, there’s a little rock garden.”
Expressive Arts Program Coordinator Kim Nguyen-Finn said the goal of the event was to focus on kindness.
“So, just even engaging in the activity itself is perfectly OK,” Nguyen-Finn said. “And for some folks, they said that they weren’t artistic either, and what they did instead is they wrote some words of kindness or inspiration.”
With finals just days away, some students saw the event as a way to decompress.
Mora and Nguyen-Finn made clear that the event was aimed for students mental health, after a long and tedious semester.
Cybersecurity junior Mauricio Martinez participated in the event and shared his experience.
“So, I’m trying to find anybody that I can to help me with this process, you know? It’s so stressful to the point that I can’t even put words to it. So, when I have these moments to breathe and just paint on rocks, it helps me collect my thoughts,” Martinez said.
Students were encouraged to take their painted stones home, give them to friends or leave them on campus to spread encouragement during the upcoming Finals Week.
For more information on upcoming student relaxation events, visit the Get Involved webpage on VLink.
