Wellness at Penn and the Penn Wellness Student Coalition (PWSC) partnered to host Wellness Week from April 14 to 18, offering a variety of events focused on student health and wellbeing.
The weeklong series included a movie screening, resource fair, keynote speakers, yoga sessions, journaling activities, and more. This year marked the second full Wellness Week since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayokun Omitogun, a College sophomore and Events Chair for PWSC, said the main goal was to create a space where students could connect through different types of programming.
“We wanted to offer something each day that students could rely on as finals approach,” said Omitogun, a former staff member at The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Wellness Week was developed through a collaboration of campus organizations, including Wellness at Penn, PWSC, and various student clubs. Elizabeth Wang, a College junior and PWSC Co-Chair, said the goal was to highlight the value of wellness and make it more visible on campus.
“PWSC serves as an umbrella group for wellness-related student organizations,” said Ashlee Halbritter, Executive Director of Student Health and Wellbeing. “Wellness at Penn supports this work, but it’s very much student-driven.”
Planning the event was a long and collaborative effort, according to Omitogun. She said PWSC worked closely with clubs, faculty, dorms, and even external organizations to bring the week together.
“We had something for every aspect of wellness — financial, physical, mental,” she said. “Whether it was yoga, coloring, or panel discussions, there was a way for everyone to get involved.”
Some of the most popular events included tote bag screen printing and outdoor movie nights. Wang noted that holding events in high-traffic areas helped bring more students in. “Tabling outdoors allowed us to catch people’s attention as they passed by,” she said.
Omitogun emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment where mental health can be openly discussed. “I hope students see that these conversations are welcome here,” she said.
Looking ahead, PWSC plans to host a Wellness Summit in Fall 2025 in collaboration with Wellness at Penn. Wang added that the group also organizes a campus poster sale during the fall semester.
For future Wellness Weeks, Omitogun hopes to introduce a new feature — short interviews with faculty members on their approach to wellness and mental health.
“It would be great to hear how professors relate to these issues,” she said. “It helps humanize them and shows how their experiences connect to ours as students.”
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