By: Liliana Gomez
This semester, on April 5, the students from the Student Advisory Committee hosted Furry Friends by bringing therapy assisted dogs to campus and help bring smiles to students. Finals is often a stressful time for students where they are experiencing a great amount of pressure from exams, papers, and presentations. The student ambassadors felt that it was important to provide a stress relieving event for students in an effort to give their brains a break from studying. Throughout the event, student ambassadors were also providing information about the benefits of therapy assisted dogs with supporting research data from Occupational Therapy student ambassador, Devyn Shum.
Devyn says: “Dogs teach us the beauty of simplicity. The endless joy they bring helps us put our stresses aside and appreciate the moment. School is a strenuous journey, and the pandemic has limited the community and comradery that normally helps students thrive. The Furry Friends event reminded students that the SJSU community continues to care for their people, despite the global hardships that have drawn many people apart. Therapy dogs teach us mindfulness and tranquility, and prove that love can be as simple as a belly rub and a smile.”
The Student Advisory Committee held another mindfulness event on May 10, with student ambassador Devyn Shum called Take a Second. During the event, Devyn invited students to put what they are grateful for on a poster while also sharing breathing exercise tips with students.
Selected by their department Chair/Director, student ambassadors are selected to represent their department partly due to the involvement in their department. While on the committee, students are used as a resource for other students. Student ambassadors host monthly office hours, attend faculty meetings, meet with their chair/director, and connect with department student organizations.
This year’s roster includes:
- Odessa Mattson, The Valley Foundation School of Nursing
- Gisselle Ayala – Graduate, School of Social Work
- Cora Asuncion – Undergraduate, School of Social Work
- Corinna Costa – Nutrition, Food Science & Packaging
- Eric Fregoso – Undergraduate, Public Health & Recreation
- Raia Cherednikov – Graduate, Public Health & Recreation
- Devyn Shum – Occupational Therapy
You can read more about the Student Advisory Committee’s mission and purpose at the following website: www.sjsu.edu/chhs/students/student-advisory-committee