On Wednesday, April 17, the Public Health Student Association hosted their “Well-A-Palooza: A Carnival of Health” event at University Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. where they partnered with other health organizations and enjoyed snacks, interactive booths, games, music and much more. Inflatables, cotton candy and prizes were provided for students and community members, promoting health awareness while bringing entertainment to campus.

Callie Akers is a junior at ETSU majoring in public health with a concentration in community health. She, alongside other association members, oversaw planning for the event, which began in December.

“It gives people something to look forward to every year, especially right now where finals are about to start,” Akers said, “It gives people a little fun break.”

The Well-A-Palooza event has been at ETSU since 1998, its 16th anniversary having been celebrated in 2014, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, their annual streak was cut in 2020. Since 2023, the carnival has returned to spread mental, physical and sexual health awareness while also bringing the jovial nature of a carnival.

“Every year, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” Akers said. “It’s been honestly great to have that establishment and relationship with the university.”

With help from SGA, campus maintenance and association members, the show was able to go on despite the pushback due to inclement weather. The change of dates happened the day before the original date, April 3, Akers stated, expressing gratitude to campus assistance who helped with the amendment.

“We’re hosting this through the College of Public Health, but not everyone here is a public health major,” Akers said. “People can have fun and still get to learn a little bit about health is what is so great about it, it’s not just marketed for health students.”

(Contributed/ETSU College of Public Health)

Looking forward, the PHSA will continue to bring the event to ETSU annually and provide resources to its community. For more information on the PHSA and how to get involved, visit etsu.campuslabs.com/engage/organization/public-health-student-association. For more information on their events, visit their Instagram at @phsaatetsu.

Author