Student to Student - Lobo Prevention Pack

September 2, 2021 - Lianna Maldonado

Well hi there ‘Bos! How is everyone? I hope you all are as excited as I am to be back on campus. It has been way too long, and I missed walking around campus and in-person classes more than I thought. I should take this time to introduce myself. My name is Lianna Maldonado and I’m a senior in my last semester in the College of Population Health with a minor in Political Science.

Lianna Maldonado is wearing a New York T-shirt and smiling for the camera.Right now, I have been given the opportunity to intern with Student Health and Counseling, which I am super excited about because that means I get to interact with students and talk to you all! I’ll mostly be working as a part of the Lobo Prevention Pack, which is essentially the on-campus COVID-19 prevention team for students. We post helpful and timely information on our Instagram @UNMLPP with just pandemic things. We are also going to be walking around campus and handing out masks and some pretty cool merch. If you ever see us, give us a wave!

My personal goal is to make everyone feel comfortable and safe returning back to campus because I definitely understand the anxiety surrounding coming back. I really have not been around this many people on a daily basis in so long! Isolating in quarantine has caused my social skills to diminish and I was really scared emerging out of the Zoom world and back into reality. But I have found that taking small moments throughout the day for myself really helps ground me and centers my focus. This could be anything from buying myself some coffee, meditating in down time, or even just going for a walk. If you, like me, are struggling with social anxiety, I would recommend trying something similar to help keep anxiety at bay. All in all, this semester is going to be an adjustment for sure as everything is becoming more functional again. If you’re out there and feeling overwhelmed though, just know you’re not alone! Take your time to ease back into a routine and only participate in what you want to.

I am really excited for this semester, and for all the upcoming fall events. Spooky season is coming up soon, and it also happens to be my favorite time of year. So, yay for all of us for making it through quarantine and making it to this semester. We all have been through a lot, so remember to treat yourself and also hydrate.

On that note, I hope you all stay safe and have a great and prosperous semester! Feel free to contact me with any questions or if you see me on campus please say hi! To quote the greatest musical of all time, we’re all in this together! Go ‘Bos.

Sincerely,

Lianna from SHAC Health Promotion