While USC is no stranger to the stars, a skateboarding, piano-playing miniature horse who’s friends with Kelly Clarkson is certainly out of the ordinary. Well, in preparation for finals, the Marshall School of Business treated its students to just that, hosting miniature therapy horses to give students a chance to smile as a part of its “De-stress Fest.”
For the inaugural De-Stress Fest, students got free food, played cornhole, colored and, of course, saw the miniature therapy horses.
“We wanted to give the students an opportunity to just have a fun, relaxing time right before finals,” said Mayra Abrams, the associate director of Marshall Student Affairs.
Laura Fcasni, assistant director of Marshall Student Affairs, said students had seen therapy dogs on campus before, so Marshall wanted to do something “even cooler” by bringing therapy horses.
“During this time, it’s really stressful for students, and it’s nice to be able to take a break,” Fcasni said. “We knew we wanted to have an event where they could come get Play-Doh, colored pencils, all that cool stuff. But we really needed a marquee visitor, a guest, to be here for the event, so we thought [bringing in] mini horses was the way to do it.”
Events like the De-Stress Fest have helped Acacia Fu, a junior majoring in business administration, get a break from her studies. Fu said this is her first semester at USC, and she feels stressed as a transfer student.
“I really like the events going on campus, they actually make me feel much better about my finals,” Fu said. “I feel like we have so many de-stress events going on, and just so many events that keep me together.”
Fu said all the events that Marshall holds help students build community and encourage them to create stronger support systems with other Marshall students and staff.
“I think the horses are cool; I would definitely love a little more free food,” said Bryan Ham, a junior majoring in business administration. “But it’s good that Marshall cares about its students to an extent.”
Finals can be a particularly stressful time for students, but there are a number of ways they can care for their mental health. Students can change their routine while still prioritizing a healthy lifestyle, such as going to the gym for only half as long during finals season, recommended Dr. Kelly Greco, a licensed psychologist from USC Counseling and Mental Health Services and a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and the behavioral sciences.
“I’m always saying focusing on what you can control and letting go of what you can’t,” Greco said “And a lot of times we do things like [put] off prioritizing sleep, healthy eating, [and] doing enjoyable activities. We take that off of our plate when we need to keep that on.”
Events like the De-stress Fest give students the opportunity to enjoy their time and take a break from the rigors of the final weeks of the semester.
“We need to still focus on self-care and just prioritizing our mental health so that we can recall the information when we’re in a test, we can sit down and write the paper we need to complete so that we feel rejuvenated and at our peak performance,” Greco said.
Greco encouraged students to learn how to ‘fight on’ and shift their mindset to encourage positive behaviors by focusing on their strengths and believing in themselves. But, it’s just as important, she said, for students to recognize when they need help and to reach out.
“I think students at USC spend a lot of time studying, which is, of course, very important for jobs, career hunting, but it’s important to do things outside of the classroom that really supplement that as well,” Fcasni said. “And so giving students an opportunity to hang out, de-stress, relax and remember that it’s important to smile and have fun too while they’re stressed out studying for finals.”
A guide on Counseling and Mental Health Resources at USC can be found here.