Stickers, finger skateboards, sunglasses, candy and other goodies helped students relieve stress before finals by coming together to make mental health kits.

Students could also enter to win a grand prize for beach towels, bucket hats and more beach gear at The Student Union Board’s bi-annual “Build Your Own Mental Health Kit” event at the Maintenance Shop on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“It’s just an event before finals and prep week to get people in the right state of mind to be able to, you know, just get through exams, be successful in all their finals and promoting mental health as a whole at Iowa State,” said Student Union Board (SUB) Multicultural Awareness Co-Director, Bryan Stewart.

SUB Multicultural Awareness Co-Director, Piper Carroll, said SUB is continuing the semesterly event due to the positive feedback from students and fantastic vibes.

“Approaching finals week, everybody just kind of needs a moment to relax, chill out and the opportunity to pick the stuff that allows you to do that is really cool,” Carroll said.

Anna Weber, a sophomore in apparel, merchandising and design, and Tess Paton, a junior in supply chain management, said they thought it would be fun to stop and check the event out.

“They all just seemed welcoming, and they wanted us to be there,” Weber said. “Being a student is hard and especially right now when everyone wants to sit outside and not do class anymore. It’s just a good break.”

Paton said these events are a reminder there are many other activities outside of school. She said if people can do these little things to improve their days, they should.

Ce Li, a graduate student in computer engineering, said he made a mental health kit to help prepare for finals and get involved.

“Mental health covers a lot of things, but I mean, I feel like it may be a small step to get closer to student life,” Li said.

Visit SUB’s website to learn how to get involved and view next semester’s upcoming events.