You might have noticed a new art installation in the CoHo? As part of the Aggie Mental Health campaign (AMH), UC Davis launched a contest to find a student artist/designer to create a piece that helps to reduce the stigma of mental health, foster community conversation and encourage students to seek out resources.

This design contest and its message of community conversations have reignited my desire to create and shed light on mental health topics … I love contributing creatively to this community that I have joined. — Nicole Paja, installation designer and member of the class of '27

The UC Davis Student Foundation (a.k.a. Aggies Helping Aggies) partnered on this project to provide funding via the annual Senior Class Challenge project through Crowdfund UC Davis, which raised $1,356 to contribute to the print and installation costs. This is the official class gift of the Class of 2023.

As a student, I understand how busy life gets in our community - classes, work, extracurriculars and more. It can be a challenge to prioritize mental health during those times, so the UC Davis Student Foundation (a.k.a. Aggies Helping Aggies) felt it was important to fundraise for this mural. We hope that this piece encourages people to check in on their mental health and offer some helpful conversation starters to navigate these discussions with friends and peers. — Shannon Yi, President of the UC Davis Student Foundation and member of the Class of ‘24. 

Additional partners included the Division of Student Affairs, the ASUCD Aggie Arts Committee and the ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo), with additional funding for the project provided by the Equity in Mental Health grant.

If you haven’t seen the mural, check it out in the CoHo today. Aggie Mental Health Ambassadors will be tabling by the installation inside the CoHo from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today through Thursday, Jan. 11. Also on Thursday, Aggies Helping Aggies will be tabling from 10:30 am to 1 p.m. with additional information on the UC Davis Student Foundation.

As always, visit MentalHealth.ucdavis.edu to see the available campus mental health resources.