As students made their way through the O’Neill Plaza on Wednesday, they were greeted by WellFest.
“Everyone has some activities which are really fun, and I think it’s great to get folks involved in the resources that BC offers,” said Vanessa Belanger, SSW ’26.
At the start of every school year, the Boston College Center for Student Wellness organizes WellFest as an opportunity to connect students with campus resources. The event provided students with a multitude of tables to visit as well as free merchandise.
“I like how they all have something different,” said Milan Smith, SSW ’26. “You can learn how to handle a fire extinguisher or learn about financial literacy, which I think is all good skills to have, especially as a college student.”
WellFest offered massages, a bracelet-making station, and free coffee with encouraging messages. They also had many educational tables with free prizes and candies, such as one discussing the negative effects of vaping.
If students visited 12 tables, they got a free shirt from the Center for Student Wellness. If they made their way around all 25 tables, they could enter into a raffle for a $250 Amazon gift card.
Additionally, WellFest provided students with the opportunity to come up with their own definition of what wellness means to them.
“I think wellness just means persevering past all of the hardships,” said Drew Dyer, MCAS ’27. “At the end of the day, just focusing on yourself and making sure that you are your number one priority and that you’re taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”
Students were also asked why wellness is important to them.
“Wellness is important to me because it helps me balance my schoolwork and my social life, and kind of just find balance within my life,” said Melissa Vidals, LSEHD ’27.
WellFest succeeded in bringing wellness to the forefront of students’ minds. They considered how wellness has the ability to affect many aspects of their lives. Students felt that they should always strive to take time for themselves and make sure they’re doing well.
After visiting the tables, Kiersten Rock-Torcivia, CSON ’27, said she felt she should make more time to prioritize her personal wellness.
“It’s especially important in college,” Rock-Torcivia said. “Because we’re under so much pressure to do everything and get all your assignments done. So, I feel like the wellness fair is a great opportunity to check in with yourself.”
Members of the Center for Student Wellness said they wanted the event to get the freshman class engaged with wellness. Starting college can be an overwhelming experience, and the Center for Student Wellness wants to help ease this transition, according to Ruby Cohen, MCAS ’25. The goal of WellFest is to build community and awareness of what resources BC offers students, she said.
“The whole reason I joined the Center for Student Wellness, to be a wellness coach, was just to spread the word,” said Jeff Min, MCAS ’26. “I wish that when I was a new student, I learned about these resources from the start.”
