you can learn a lot from one night on the streets

One UC San Diego student, Shanelle Sherlin, got a glimpse of what it is like to live life on the streets and the eye-opening experience helped her learn the power of giving. The Muir College sophmore spent 12 hours in the streets of downtown San Diego where she dug through trash cans, collected bottles, begged for money and interviewed other homeless people, all for an art project designed to help people

“I came up with the idea to pretend to be homeless so that I could learn to relate to them and humanize the indigent,” she said. “Before I thought most homeless people where alcoholics or drug addicts, but I learned that wasn’t the case for many of the people I met. One man I talked to lost everything after he was disabled from a car accident.”

Sherlin’s project was for a UC San Diego visual arts class. She donned old clothes and said she was surprised at how people ignored her or gave her dirty looks. “It was a very humbling experience,” she said. “Most people just walked by, and if I did try to approach someone, they would tell me they didn’t have time to talk.”

Sherlin lived on the streets and collected $27 worth of bottles Nov. 28 and the next day went back to the same neighborhood to feed and interview homeless people. “The homeless people I talked to were just so thankful that I talked to them and gave them attention,” she said. “I think, especially during the holidays, people should think about helping those who are less fortunate than us.”

To read more about Sherlin's story go here.

The Dog Days of Finals

The dog days of finals are here and students at UCSD de-stressed on Tuesday by petting some friendly pups at the Price Center. Studies show that petting a dog lowers stress levels, so students had the opportunity to play with golden retrievers, black and golden labs among the 30 plus certified therapy dogs on during Fall Quarter finals.

The annual event, proven to be very popular with students when it debuted last year, was arranged by the campus to remind students of the dangers of “stressing out.”

“Stress for students is the number one health impediment to academic success,” said Jerry Phelps, PhD., director of Wellness Initiatives for UC Student Wellness.

To learn more about the benefits of the Wellness Center go here.

campus recognizes world aids day with myriad of events

They danced and sang. They created films, sculptures and photography exhibits, all to show the impact of HIV/AIDS and how it has affected so many people and taken so many lives. Members of the UC San Diego community recognized World AIDS Day on Tuesday.

A highlight of the day at UCSD was a public viewing of three pieces of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.Revelle College senior Minnie Low was one of the many students who stopped by view sections of the Quilt, which were created by San Diego organizations and individuals. “It is so moving to see it because the Quilt has impacted so many people in so many different ways,” Low said. “I love that people come together once a year to learn about this disease and how it affects millions of people.” To read more about the day's events, check out this SDNN article .