The Student Mental Health Alliance (SMHA) hosted “How Full is Your Cup?” on the Quad Dec. 5. Students received free hot chocolate, provided by the cafeteria, and shared advice for coping with stress on Post-it notes with peers.
School counselor and club advisor Michelle Bracken said the activity’s goal was to raise awareness of mental health and to offer a chance to spread support.
“It is important for students to see that everyone could use a check-in with themselves to see where they are with their mental health,” Bracken said. “When we can recognize that everyone is at a different place, it does two things. One, it normalizes that it is okay to be where we are, and, two, it promotes empathy. Several students answered the question, ‘What do you do to fill your cup?’ Students could see the ideas and maybe apply them.”
SMHA co-leader Micah Parr ’25 said the activity helped him bond with other students as well as the community.
“Since the wintertime can bring about feelings of seasonal depression, it was important to hold an event in which we could discuss mental health,” Parr said. “Given that Harvard-Westlake can be a very isolating community, it always feels nice to make people smile by giving them some hot cocoa or engaging in a friendly conversation with someone I didn’t really know before. With all the competitiveness of Harvard-Westlake sometimes blinding us from the wonderful people here, events like these have helped me see just how beautiful our community really is.”
Co-leader Ellie Liou ’26 said the event, especially the Post-it notes, allowed students to bond during a time of anxiety and busy schedules.
“We understand the stress that many students may feel during this time, and wanted to provide a sweet treat to encourage them,” Liou said. “The goal of the booth was to give everyone some free hot chocolate while encouraging them to share ways they relax or ‘fill their cup.’ I hope students got to reflect and read about how they can reduce their stress and unwind. The Post-it notes students wrote on are now displayed on the bulletin outside the cafeteria.”
SMHA member Maya Namba ’26 said she enjoyed being able to help students and faculty in reducing the stress of the school year.
“Aside from the free hot chocolate and the smiles that we received from our peers and teachers, what I loved about the ‘Fill Your Cup Stand’ that SMHA hosted at the quad was being able to spread joy and kindness throughout our community, especially in such a stressful time of the year,” Namba said.
Linden Azad ’26 said she believes the stand was a good idea, as she liked seeing students mingling together.
“It felt really nice watching people enjoy themselves with their friends,” Azad said. “The stand brought the community together, hot chocolate or not, and that is the most important thing.”
