Squishy mochi characters, stickers, candy, drinks and more will be available for students to create their own mental health kits in the Memorial Union as a way to decompress and relieve stress before finals.

The Student Union Board’s (SUB) Multicultural Awareness (MCA) directors have organized the eighth Mental Health Kits event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Maintenance Shop, while supplies last. The event is free for all Iowa State students to participate in. 

Entering its fourth year, the mental health kit event was established as a way to promote mental health awareness and give students a chance to relieve stress, according to Piper Carroll, an MCA director at SUB and senior in English. 

“This is an event for all ISU students to just come and create a box, throw in what they would like from the different offerings that we have on the table,” Bryan Stewart, MCA director at SUB and senior in accounting said.

“This is a more interactive experience, people can come in, pick out what they want and then also make the drinks there if they want to, or just hang out in the Maintenance Shop,” Stewart said.

Amreen Chhina, an international freshman in aerospace engineering, said this is an interesting approach to mental health during prep week. 

“Mental health is important, and giving students time to relax and divert attention from the exams would surely help them reduce stress,” Chhina said. “I look forward to this.” 

Students can visit the Student Union Board website for more information on future events and involvement.