James Geisler, executive director of wellness services at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, is well acquainted with the challenges students face during the transition to college, and that’s why he decided to start a wellness bag initiative.
This year, upon move-in, all first-year students will receive a gift bag thoughtfully prepared by the counseling staff at the Maureen Hamilton Wellness Center. The initiative is intended to make incoming students feel supported while providing them with a few tools to get through stressful times. And thanks to a partnership with Bigelow Tea, based nearby in Fairfield, more than 2,000 wellness bags contain Bigelow Tea products.
“Wellness and mental health are not just the wellness center’s responsibility — it’s everyone’s here at SHU,” Geisler said. “In addition to all the work and time our counselors put into this initiative, we couldn’t have done it without the support of SHU’s residential life and Bigelow Tea to ensure these bags make their way to every first-year student.”
“When first-year students transition to college, it’s not just the struggles within this new adjustment that bring them to seek counseling,” Geisler said. “It’s that they feel alone in these struggles.”
Finding a creative way to normalize these experiences — through insight from those who understand them best — was a key driver of the wellness bag initiative. The initiative benefits students and brings comfort to parents as they navigate their own emotions around the transition to college. It also demonstrates the value of cross-campus collaboration when it comes to mental health support.
Each wellness bag contains Bigelow tea, custom SHU calm strips (a tactile tool designed to create calm and focus) and a card with a QR code linking to a landing page featuring videos from SHU’s mental health counselors. These videos offer advice and tips on managing mental health in the early days and weeks on campus.
“Through these videos, students not only get to know a counselor should they need one, but they are also reminded that what they might be struggling with is normal — and that there are tools to help overcome the adjustment to college,” Geisler said. “We know how therapeutic it is to hear this message, and we’re offering it much sooner, so students are better equipped to face challenges as they arise. Because at SHU, wellness isn’t just a buzzword — it’s something we’re brewing into the culture, one student at a time,” Geisler said.
“The Bigelow Tea family understands the importance of a warm welcome. “For over a decade, our tea company has proudly welcomed local college freshmen with a warm gesture —donating over 6,000 tea bags each fall semester to nearby universities,” said the Bigelow Tea family in a statement. “Each incoming student receives a selection of our teas and a special coupon as a way for our family to welcome your new family of freshman students to the area as well as introducing them to our different teas. This long-standing tradition reflects our commitment to hospitality, community connection and introducing the next generation to the joy of a great cup of tea.”
