When junior mechanical engineering major Karla Reyes first transferred to Sacramento State, she sought help from The Dreamer Resource Center to navigate her college experience.

Reyes is a first-generation immigrant and one of many students who attended Student Academic Success Day for the first time since transferring over a year ago. Over a year later, Reyes is an assistant for The Dreamer Resource Center, excited to help students who felt the same anxieties and difficulties she did.

“Success is important when you’re not just representing yourself, but you’re representing a community,” Reyes said. “Coming from a dreamer perspective, if you see diverse communities being successful, seeing them gives you the hope that you can be successful.”

The theme for this year’s Student Academic Success Dayday was “Finish Healthy: Wellness, Hope and Opportunity” and was held in the University Union Ballroom on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.

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The event facilitated dialogue about health and wellness as a key component of academic success and encouraged students to interact with on-campus opportunities.

The first event was a wellness forum in Hinde Auditorium, where Sac State community members talked about the importance of maintaining mental and physical health while navigating higher education.

Paul Tran, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at The WELL, said that holding a simple conversation with a student can provide the immediate support they need.

“I try to make myself available for anyone who just wants to have a conversation, mental health related or not,” Tran said. “From making friends on campus or talking about your hobbies, we’re more than happy to support you through that.”

Tran said that navigating higher education as a first generation immigrant can be a struggle.

“Students should understand that their health is important in making it through the next four, six or eight years in your academic journey,” Tran said. “That’s why these services are here.”

Whether a student needs peer counseling or crisis care, Tran said that campus resources providing mental support are critical for students to maintain a steady pace in their educational career.

Marcellene Watson-Derbigny, Associate Vice President of Student Retention and Academic Success, has been the head planner of SAS day for the last 10 years and took a new approach this year.

“It’s important to hold on to your hopes, despite what’s going on around you,” Watson-Derbigny said. “When you do that, opportunities will fall at your feet.”

Watson-Derbigny said that SAS day enables students to learn how to succeed from community support and connect with campus resources and social networks.

After the forum, students were welcomed into the University Union Ballroom for the Hope Luncheon. A live jazz band performed to liven the atmosphere.

Sac State President Luke Wood attended the luncheon and gave a speech about how SAS Day represents the cornerstone of the campus’ commitment to educational equity and student achievement.

“Today’s theme of finishing healthy is a powerful reminder that we have to be taking care of ourselves in order for us to be our best selves for others,” Wood said. “So you can be the best person for yourself because you deserve hope and dignity.”

Wood said that it’s important that students have a recreational outlet in their personal time, so that they can recharge themselves or rest beyond the classroom walls.

After his speech, Wood introduced major league baseball free agent Randy ‘Jay’ Jackson Jr., who held a speaking segment during the event.

After injuring himself multiple times in the last two years, Jackson Jr. said that his hopes of continuing his career as an older athlete were reignited after meeting a fellow injured athlete in rehab.

“Finishing healthy isn’t necessarily about finishing the best you can,” Jackson said.

As SAS day came to a close, students were greeted with free Jamba Juice provided by the Degrees Project volunteers. Tables with information about student resources lined Serna Plaza.

Kennedy Blaire Nelson, a third year kinesiology major and academic advising coach for the Degrees Project, said that self care is crucial. Nelson said they worry that students treat self care as a secondary concern, which can impede a student’s ability to sustain a healthy college career.

“Finishing healthy and finishing with your sanity and finishing with that peace of mind is key,” Nelson said. “To have that longevity in our life, whatever we choose to do.”