By Jillian Beck | Cal State LA News Service
The Cal State LA community participated in several Mind Matters events at the close of the fall semester, promoting inner well-being on campus.
Cal State LA President William A. Covino and First Lady Debbie Covino presented Mind Matters Champion awards on Dec. 11 for outstanding efforts in promoting inner well-being on campus. The three awardees—student Dylan Gunaratne, faculty member Kristen Hourigan and staff member Anna Lovoy—were nominated by members of the University community.
This is the first year of the awards, which recognize students, faculty and staff who show exceptional and innovative dedication to the inner well-being of others. “They are really helping us with our strategic priority to make Cal State LA a welcoming and inclusive campus,” the president said of the awardees.
Golden Eagles de-stressed before finals with therapy dogs and a cat from local nonprofit Love On 4 Paws. Students got some love from the furry friends on Nov. 28 while President and First Lady Covino walked one of the therapy dogs around campus and handed out Mind Matters granola bars.
The latest speaker in the Mind Matters lecture series was Victor Narro, project director of the UCLA Labor Center and an advocate for immigrant rights and low-wage workers. Narro shared simple and restorative practices of mindfulness at an event Nov. 14 to help activists ground their work in an ethic of self-care.
Photos: Top: Students de-stress with a therapy dog from Love On 4 Paws on Nov. 28. Bottom left: UCLA Labor Center project director Victor Narro shares strategies for self-care at a Nov. 14 workshop. (Credit: J. Emilio Flores/Cal State LA)
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