Students drank tea and wrote affirming notes to themselves and family members during a wellness event on campus Tuesday.

Lauren Wilson, the student orientation assistant for the Office of Student Engagement, organized the event to allow students to destress and affirm themselves.

“I think it’s important for students to realize, like, how valuable they are as a student and to truly be thankful for themselves,” Wilson said. “This event is very valuable to me because I think there’s a lot of power in affirmation.  … [It’s] more than just saying ‘thank you’ to somebody, but actually meaning it.”

Wilson said affirmation notes can be helpful to remind students that they are doing a good job and are successful.

A first-year psychology student said she hesitated to come to the event.

“I’m not really one for affirmations and stuff,” Asia Marie Juania said. “Like, I don’t really do them for myself. … I saw that it was like the theme of this event. So I was like, ‘You know, it might not be so bad to come and, like, check it out.’”

Juania added, “These events are nice, and I’m glad that we have events like this [at AACC].”

First-year engineering student Tadashi Sakai agreed.

“I thought it was very peaceful and relaxing,” Sakai said. “It’s like a good way to destress after class.”

Another student said the event was “reflective.”

“I’m trying to think about things that, like, affirm me, [and] saying things that would affirm my parents,” first-year undecided student Jude Schueckler said. “It’s something that’s, like, making me think about my life and my day to day and, like, if I’m being affirming to people around me.”