Midterm Motivation Returns in the Quad

Coloring page with student doodles at SMC's Midterm Motivation event on April 3 provided by the art department on campus.

Ahmad Diakite hanging out on campus in front of a large connect four set up as a two games of corn hole unfold in front of him at Midterm Motivation day.

A furry member of Kitty of Angeles snuggled up in her carrier waiting for the next SMC student in line to enter the play area.

Bryan Lara and Ervin Alexander Escalante coloring at SMC's Midterm Motivation event on April 3.

SMC music student Ean Greer playing bass at SMC's Midterm Motivation event.

In the midst of a chaotic week filled with studying and exams, Santa Monica College (SMC) hosted its traditional Midterm Motivation event on the main campus quad on Wednesday.

In between classes and cram sessions, students gathered to take a coloring break, play games, and pet the furry four-legged friends that were brought onto campus.

Pets Unstressing Passengers (PUP), an organization that volunteers at LAX to provide stress relief for anxious flyers with the help of emotional support dogs, brought along two furry friends. Aiesha Colvin, a PUP member, stood beside German Shepherd Mufasa proudly. “He’s been doing really good,” said Colvin. “This is his first time as a therapy dog moving out, so we are having a great time.”

Azusena Mateo stopped to pet Mufasa on her way to take an exam and immediately felt calmer in his presence. Rachel Lando, another SMC student, had a similar experience as Mufasa quickly took a liking to her. “This dog literally sat in my lap, and then all the stress just washed off,” said Lando, who found out about the event through the SMC GO app.

Kitty of Angels, a non-profit that provides resources for homeless cats in Los Angeles, parked their van on campus as well and provided kittens for students to cuddle with. The line to see the kittens stretched in front of the library, where a gaming area with corn hole and Connect Four was set up for students to play.

On the opposite side of the quad, the art department provided a massive coloring page splayed out across a folding table, which a student had created. “Destress. Take a second, and just do some coloring," Dana Wise, administrative assistant in the art department, said as she explained the purpose of their booth.

De-stressing is exactly what Bryan Lara, a graphic design student at SMC in the middle of his midterms week, did as he doodled on the canvas alongside his friend Ervin Alexander Escalante. “The outlet that the art department has provided for us to draw is amazing,” Lara said. “I love to create and express, and what better place to do it at than at the place I’m going to school.”

All the while, live music drifted across campus as four SMC music department students, two jazz piano majors, a music major, and a jazz trumpet performance major, played smooth jazz for the crowd.

Lara left Midterm Motivation Day excited to take on the rest of the midterm week. “Definitely with the support that SMC has provided online and also in physical support and career counseling has been tremendous, and I feel super ready,” said Lara.