Florida Atlantic University students could pet therapy dog K9 Nala at the “Wimberly PAWS” event in the S.E. Wimberly Library to relax and de-stress as finals week approaches. 

The event, organized through a collaboration between FAU Libraries, FAU Police Department and Owls Care Health Promotion, aimed to promote self-care and mental wellness by providing resources and featuring the main event of the therapy dog. 

K9 Nala from FAUPD was available for students to interact with, and students could de-stress with coloring activities provided by FAU Libraries. OCHP representatives shared information on mental wellness and campus resources. 

Alexis Broussard, FAU Libraries community engagement coordinator, described the event as an opportunity for students to relax amid finals preparations. Additionally, the FAU Libraries’ “Postcards from Paradise” campaign allowed students to write notes and send them in the mail at no cost.

“Students can fill out a postcard to their family or friends letting them know they’re studying in the library, and we actually mail them the same day…even internationally,” Broussard said.

Jaclyn Magill, a senior marketing major, shared how attending the event allowed her to take a moment for herself during a study session. 

“I have a lot of finals coming up. All I wanted to do was take a step away from my work… but see a cute little dog to make me feel better about getting my work done,” she said. 

Zoey Barton, a junior social work major, heard about the event through flyers posted in the library and decided to stop by between study sessions. 

“I felt overwhelmed and stressed before, but now I feel a little bit better,” she said after spending time with K9 Nala. “Let’s say you’re having a bad day, and you just walk in here, it could be the highlight of your day. You didn’t even know you needed it.”

Barton also sent a postcard to her family via the library program, using it as a quick way to connect with her family.

“I liked writing the postcard. I’ve never written one to my family before, we usually just text,” Barton said. “My mom’s probably going to cry when she gets it, which is funny because it’s not even that deep, but writing it made me feel cool.”

After seeing a flyer, Arianna Lian and Victoria Salisbury, FAU High School sophomores, were drawn in by the idea of taking a break and spending time with the therapy dog. They were surprised by how many other de-stressing activities were offered. 

“We saw the date and knew we had to go,” Lian said. “I didn’t think they were going to have all these activities like coloring and postcards.” 

She added that the postcard option was a thoughtful touch.

“Some people kind of forget to reach out to their family every once in a while. This definitely helps,” Salisbury said. “I love dogs, so this was really de-stressing for me.”

Florida Atlantic Libraries invited OCHP to participate in the event, where their peer educators, Owls Care Leaders, provided stress management education to students. 

“We focus on skills that students can take with them so they can manage their stress,” Cherilyn Bean, associate director of Owls Care Health Promotion, wrote in an April 24 email. “Some skills include recognizing when you are stressed and using a relaxation technique to alleviate that stress.”

Jada Strayer is a Staff Writer for the University Press. For more information on this or other stories, you can contact Strayer at jstrayer2023@fau.edu or DM jadastrayer on Instagram.