I’m writing this with two cups of piping hot tea sitting next to me, straight from the place that cares more about students than anywhere else  — The Wellness Center. 

Small to say, I love the Wellness Center. Facets of this paradise, such as toys and trinkets to play with when I can’t focus or need to get my mind off of something, only enrich my academic experience. Its bean bags and comfy couches take the load off of a hard day. The food, such as their stocked fresh tea section, fills me with the courage and strength I need to get through the rest of the day. Not to mention the candles  — the cherries on top of the sundae that is the calming environment. The Wellness Center, in my opinion, is one of the best places on campus for students to go for any reason.

Every time I walk into the center, I’m greeted by warm smiles and kind people, no matter my reason for being there. No matter what I’m there for  — from getting photo/video footage or just because I want a nice warm beverage, as soon as I walk in through the door the Wellness Center turns into my getaway from stressful school work, tests and deadlines. 

With RHS housing one of the largest Wellness centers in the district, it’s nice to know that students have a place to go where they can feel genuinely cared about. I am so glad that RHS students have a place where they can feel heard when they need help, whenever they need it. 

I adore the center’s desire to improve. This drive to help as many students as possible is evident through its monthly events like it’s Mental Illness Awareness Week earlier this month, which makes students more aware of what mental illness really is. The center strives for improvement on all levels. This year’s transition away from an appointment-based system and the transition into universal drop-ins, in my opinion, was an extremely valuable development. The “drop-in” system provides an immediate outlet for students in crisis — an invaluable improvement in comparison to the previously limited system. This limited system, although helping students, was not without its flaws, for instance, if a student was in “mid-crisis” and the staff was already busy, that student wouldn’t get the help they need. These flaws were previously being caused by a lack of staffing. Instead of being ignored, however, the staff nearly doubled in size providing improvement through the “drop-in” system, providing help throughout the day for those who need it.

These movements to help students and increase awareness of mental health have only improved students’ accessibility to resources that help improve their mental health, with specialized care put into whatever situation is going on. This system consists of facets such as, clubs, the previously mentioned Mental Illness Awareness weeks and Parent Education series. All of these activities were developed to increase awareness of mental health. These activities are not only meant to increase awareness but also help students feel more understood, accepted and cared about.

The Wellness Center is always there for you no matter what you need, I love and appreciate its existence here on campus so much, and the tea was delicious.