DeSales University Wellness Expo Showcases Holistic Well Being with Vendors, Therapy Animals, and Resilience Walk

DeSales University hosted its first annual Be Well Wellness Expo & Step-Into-Resilience Campus Walk on Wednesday, April 15, welcoming students, faculty, and staff to a lively, hands‑on celebration of holistic wellness. The event was co‑hosted by the Be Well Team, Human Resources, and the Sports & Exercise Is Medicine Club.

Students lined up throughout the afternoon to enjoy animal‑assisted therapy experiences, including one of the most popular highlights—meeting and holding baby kangaroos from a rescue organization. Attendees also had the opportunity to interact with Fern, a mini horse who quickly became a campus favorite.

The campus‑wide Expo brought together local businesses, health professionals, and DeSales departments offering education, tools, and resources focused on total well‑being. Participants visited a pop‑up farmers market featuring free samples and healthy snacks from vendors and engaged in an interactive “Dangers of Drunk Driving” Mario Kart activity that demonstrated the impact of impaired reaction time in a memorable way.

In conjunction with the Expo, attendees took part in the Step-Into-Resilience Campus Walk, a guided, scavenger‑hunt‑style experience designed to encourage movement and reflection. Participants stopped at interactive stations highlighting the six dimensions of the DeSales Be Well model of resilience: physical, mental, social, spiritual, service, and life skills.

Denise Mikuta, director of counseling and resiliency, said events like the Wellness Expo help students build skills that extend far beyond a single day.

“The college experience is one of the most transformative and demanding seasons of a young person’s life,” Mikuta said. “Students today are navigating academic pressure, social change, and an uncertain world all at once. When students, with the support of staff and faculty, build resilience across these dimensions, they are not just surviving their college years—they are developing holistic skills they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.”

The Wellness Expo is part of the broader Be Well Initiative, which supports student success through six research‑based dimensions of resilience aimed at developing the whole person. The initiative is inspired by the guiding wisdom of the University’s patron saint, St. Francis de Sales: “Be who you are, and be that well.”