Subjective Wellbeing

This photo was taken in the English department. To me it represents the duality of my identity. The poster has a Mexican woman with a flower in her hair, and is illustrated in a classic americana style. It is a pop art poster done in red, white, and blue colors. It evokes old Americana like "Rosie the Riviter" and Uncle Sam's poster saying "I want you". But instead it is someone that looks like me. Someone that I can imagine has a similar background to me. A person I can see myself in. A "we" and a "people" that I feel I can identify with.

These books are a bright splash of color in the dull grays, blacks, and browns of the American History section in Love Library. Amid budget cuts and program erasures, they stand to represent the space that will always be taken up by the Chicanx and Latinx communities. The work has been done before, and although it may stall for a bit, the work will continue to be done, so long as someone somewhere has a place for it on their shelf.

Whenever I get the chance, I try to go to the rec center. It's a nice space for me to focus on myself, to fill up my own cup, so that I can continue to pour from it. However, as the semester has gone on, and the work has continued to pile up, it was one of the first things to get pushed to the back burner. Eventually, it just became one more thing that I'm struggling to do, or if I can do it, I'm doing it half-heartedly. Another piece of my time that I have to give away.

Quiet and gloomy are some words that could describe this hallway but for me this hallway represents safety and peace. At midnight there will be a security guard usually roaming around each floor making sure there is no threat or commotion so that students can feel safe. I feel the university does a great job implementing this measure especially when campus is public and at times there could be individuals who are imitating a student just to stalk or harass an actual student. But at the same its great that they don't do it so frequently that students feel like they should be in a state of uneasiness.​

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-Denisse Peña Paxtle

In this picture we can see one of many murals in a basement hallway. Even though it might look a bit sketchy and the complete opposite of safe the students who painted these walls felt safe to express themselves without judgment. All of these paintings were done by different artists over their college years. I was taken aback by the creativity of these students that I began to wonder what teachings they learned here on campus and the advice they would give to students.

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-Denisse Peña Paxtle

This is a picture outside my floor looking at the tennis courts. I initially took this picture because I liked the scenery but decided to ask my roommate if she wanted to be part of it because she evokes this sense of wellness and safety because when I am around her, I can freely express my opinions with her without having to be like “I need to isolate from her” or conceal myself.​

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-Denisse Peña Paxtle

Exploring an antique shop with my roommates. My roommates and I are often exploring new stores, restaurants, and parks. This picture captures what we usually do. Get a coffee, walk around, and have fun doing and looking at new things or experiences. Enjoying new things with my roommates is an integral part of my well-being. I can be more of myself around them.

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-Leopoldo Hernandez

My partner is the most supportive person in my life, even if he doesn't agree with things sometimes he still supports me regardless. He started giving me bouquets every month because prior it wasn't something I was getting. He made a point to show that I deserve to get flowers "just because." I always like taking photos of them as a reminder that even though we don’t get a lot of time together, he still shows love that way. It makes me feel seen like its not just a friendship, it's a romantic relationship as well. He reminds me to take a moment, slow down my day, and smell the flowers.

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-Kadeja Alkanass

Prioritizing physical health is just as important as mental health. Sometimes we get caught up in the to-do lists we have to do and In those moments it is most important to take a break and prioritize yourself too. In this photo I am at VASA and I just got done running and I am about to start lifting – it was a heavy workout and it was stress relieving. I felt a lot less anxious after my workout. I started running to reduce my anxiety. I try to find time to workout in between clients or assignments at the east campus rec when I am on campus. I workout with my husband and it is a nice time to connect since we usually don't have much time. These are new running shoes to motivate me to run more.

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-Kadeja Alkanass

I took this picture while I was on a walk, I don't remember exactly where but I think it was outside the community college outside the Haymarket. Around that street there are a lot of chalk drawings. In particular, this block had a lot of anti-Trump, Anti-Fascist messaging and this was my favorite one so I had to take a picture of it. I chose it for subjective wellness because I do feel better when I am reminded that there are people out there that share my values, my opinions, my beliefs. For some reason, the fact that there are numerous allegations of sexual assault and harrassment against Trump as well as him
being in the Epstein files doesn’t get talked about often. It’s a breath of fresh air to be reminded that I’m not alone.

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-Aaron Estrada-Escalera

I did this art therapy exercise after feeling really stressed out with life​I saw this exercise online and I added my own twist to it by adding in quotes. I created a key to help identify the different emotions that were going on and went line by line to express how I feel then afterwards I went in and added in quotes for the different emotions. In the hopeful part I wrote "what if it works out?" And my husband said this to me when I was really stressed out when we first met and it changed my perspective a lot. In the grateful part I wrote down "you have people that love you" as a reminder that even if people feel distant, they are still there. In the hurt part I wrote down "It's okay to be angry" to validate that emotion than needing to suppress it constantly. Oftentimes I'm surrounded by environments where I am not allowed to be angry or my anger is considered inappropriate. I did this right after a really intense therapy session I had. It was really hard to label some of the emotions for me. Even looking at it now, it reminds me of the different stressors and situations that were happening at the time. After I did this, I felt a bit of weight off my shoulders. When I look at it I can still feel that anger, hurt, and hopefulness.​​Anger can only be expressed through these pages but are not tolerated by others when they come from a Muslim woman. You can't be angry or show any negative emotions without the potential misrepresentation of a whole group. Feeling obligated to educate others, even if its not my role, because people won't do their own research. There's a lot of anger around this. Fighting between advocating for myself and wanting to be respected by others – A fight I shouldn't have to engage in. A lot of these emotions are privileges.

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-Kadeja Alkanass

Last week I went thrifting and antiquing with my friends. There is a
second-hand video game/DVD shop that we went to. I really like collecting DVDs and Blu-Rays. Finding new movies and growing my collection gives me satisfaction. One of my aunts and uncles had a huge collection and I aspire to have the same. I like collecting the individual boxes and I love finding ones that have pamphlets and menus; this is something that is not as common with streaming. One in particular to highlight is the Cars Blu-ray. Alongside collecting for myself, I want to collect the movies I watched as a kid for my niece so that she can get that experience of having DVDs and playing around
with them like I used to.

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-Aaron Estrada-Escalera

While in this photo it looks empty, normally it's a home to various students. But also it's a valued place among the UNL community. This building can have thousands of visitors just in a day to eat or organize events outside of it. It is one of my favorite places to go, I can always find a space whether it be in the lobby or basement to just unwind or study. This is one of the buildings we have among the UNL community. Despite it having possibly the smallest layout, thousands of students can come into it a day. The surrounding area includes the union, Love Library, and the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center. All these buildings create facilities for students in order to get the best they can out of the campus experience. A lot of these places involve sharing culture, communicating information, and finding valued resources. Due to the budget cuts, a lot of these resources are at risk of having their offerings reduced or eliminated which makes me feel uneased because these resources feel like home to me.​

visiting pioneers park after a busy and stressful school day. I frequent this park because of its beauty and serene forest. There are lots of trails to walk and explore. Hiking the trails here relieves the stresses from school and life. I hold this park dear to my heart.

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-Leopoldo Hernandez

This is a photo taken right outside of the Campus Recreation center, the trees have just started to bloom in celebration of spring on campus, it's at this time many people enjoy taking in the beautiful scenery and spending more time outside, it's also what sparks up many new ideas for upcoming semester in terms of plans, events, and goals. The land in which we call home during our academic years is what is valued by many, myself included.

This photo was from the aftermath of volunteering to have my head shaved at the Saint Baldrick's Foundation charity event during the spring of 2025. Our goal was to raise $50 for each volunteer, I ended up raising a bit more than $200 for that event. This event was definitely not for me personally but it was to show support for those with medical issues to those who struggle with cancer (I personally have witnessed loved ones who have passed because of it) and to those that are still struggling with the unfairness of it. It was more than just the UNL community, but my community from home who helped me not only reach my goal but instead, to soar far beyond it. I am just one person though, one of a few dozens who volunteered. It's not the job of just one person in the community to make things better, it is the job of everyone in the community who wants change. I am sharing this to honor my late grandmother, Antonia Ramírez.​

This is a photo taken after my first year of UNL after receiving an award towards my outstanding commitment to my scholarship program (NCPA). Looking back throughout the year I was incredibly thankful towards my companions and the NCPA staff who have been there to support me emotionally throughout the year and provided resources when I needed it. College and the support I got throughout it had allowed me to become a better version of myself; to many, getting this type of support is what makes the college experience one to remember.