Bowie State Counseling Office Lifts Spirits with De-Stress Fest

Event Aimed to Prep Students for Finals

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-860-3607

(BOWIE, Md.) – Finals time is a stressful period for any college student, as the rush to finish the many outstanding assignments and study a semester’s worth of material in a few days, can put a strain on one’s mental, emotional and even physical well-being.  

With that in mind, Dr. Aquila Mitchell, director of Counseling Services at Bowie State University, rallied her team to do something different to ease the students’ collective stress levels.  The result was the inaugural De-Stress Fest, an event which featured lawn games, dog and puppy cuddle therapy and a host of other activities in front of the Student Center designed to lower anxiety and raise spirits during the final push towards the end of the semester. 

“We wanted to provide students with a calming, stress relieving activity prior to final exams,” said Dr. Mitchell. “During this time, we’re seeing more students in our office. We just felt like we’ll take the services to them and give them a space to relax.” 

De-Stress Fest included various art activities, such as painting and ceramics sessions, along with cotton candy and Italian ice vendors to create a relaxing atmosphere that could recharge students’ batteries as they press towards the finish line. Dr. Mitchell noted that relieving that pent up stress would help students achieve better outcomes when it comes to their final exams and projects.  

Based on student feedback, De-Stress Fest was well-received, and Counseling Services will look to repeat the event again in the coming semesters. 

“It’s almost like a reboot,” said Dr. Mitchell. “Students were saying 'this is really great, and you all need to do this again.' This is something we’re definitely going to continue.”

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about Bowie State University, visit bowiestate.edu.