This Rose Event had to be among one of my favorites. Reading the description of this event, “Self-Care Workshop”, I expected to attend a lecture that talked about the ways students should handle stress and taking care of oneself during these times. Yes, there was a brief introduction; however, when I walked into the Rose Library, I was pleasantly surprised to see pumpkins & carving kits set up on the tables along with joyful and smiling faces. I had no idea that we were carving pumpkins, so I was in for a treat. I had never carved a pumpkin all by myself before and had been studying hard for one of my prelims beforehand, so it was a great 2-in-1 where I was able to take a mental break and try my hand at carving a pumpkin.

The Rose House faculty could have easily put together a powerpoint and presented their ideas about self-care. Instead, they decided to take the extra step and plan out this unique hands-on activity, which is something I appreciated. While carving my pumpkin, it was nice to converse with other Rose Scholars at my table that I hadn’t met before, which allowed me to connect with others in the Rose community. Good vibes & upbeat music filled the air and laughter was interconnecting all of us as we tried to clean out the pumpkin’s insides.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this activity as it provided me with something I was craving: arts & crafts. As a child growing up, arts & crafts was an activity that was my creative outlet and a huge part of my life. Being at college suppressed and limited the amount of time I had to do artistic things and this activity rejuvenated something within. It also showed me how important it is to take care of your mental health, even if it is for an hour long, by being surrounded by positive attitudes and creative spirits.