On Tuesday, September 10th, the Information Management Association (IMA) and Student Health and Wellness hosted a pet therapy event in the School of Business. There, volunteers from Tails of Joy, a nonprofit pet therapy organization in Avon, CT, brought in their friendly pups to help students unwind from their busy schedules. Every hour, a new dog would come in to interact with the students, giving everyone the opportunity to de-stress with more than one furry friend. Seneca, displayed on the left, was one of the many therapy dogs that came to visit.
According to IMA President Victoria Trautman, providing students with the opportunity to take a moment of self-care was a truly enlightening experience. “We often disregard our needs when there is so much expected of us,” she said. “Just seeing everyone so recharged after a few moments of downtime proves that taking care of ourselves should always be our first priority.” As for the student experience, Riley Wolcheski, a freshman Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major, said that the pet therapy event brightened her day. “When I got here, I instantly felt better. I had a rough day–I’ve been having a stressful week–but just petting the dog was enough.”
We thank Student Health and Wellness, as well as the pups from Tails of Joy, for allowing IMA to put this together.