Our students are struggling - with basic needs, with mental health, with loneliness and isolation, and with finding their way in a post-pandemic world.  As we welcome students onto campus and endeavor to support and encourage them in many different ways, we are reminded that love and caring are perhaps the most powerful resources we can offer. 

Love and caring shows up in different ways - in saying hello, smiling and making eye contact, asking engaging questions, listening deeply, leaning into conversations, inviting students to share their stories, and being fully present when they talk. It means recognizing and celebrating the infinite and rich variety of identities, personalities, cultures, and expressions of self.  It means offering an array of services and supports that recognize the whole student, complete with their own unique gifts and talents, struggles, and imperfections. It means seeing ourselves in the faces, the stories, the struggles, and the successes of our students.

This is why care bags are a wonderful way to show love and caring to our students.  Not only are we providing some useful items, we are also signaling to students that their humanity, their wellness, their essential needs are important to us, and that we are here to be helpful and supportive and caring and loving.  In that spirit, we are deeply appreciative of the time, efforts, and kindness provided by the Students Assisting Students team in preparing and providing these care bags - it really does make a difference in the lives of our students.  And sometimes, all it takes is one thoughtful gesture like a care bag to change the trajectory of a day, a week, or even a semester for a student. Thank you!