This pan student wants everyone to feel loved this Valentines Day | Photo: Hatti Smart
One pansexual student has made it her mission to embark on a beautiful random act of kindness today.
This Valentines day the student union officer has bought flowers for everyone on campus – so no-one feels alone.
Hatti Smart, also co-chair of National Student Pride, just persuaded her Student Union to spend £500 on flowers to give out to students on campus.
‘This week is Random Acts of Kindness Week. To encourage people to get involved, we bought flowers and thank you cards for people to take and pass onto other people,’ she tells Gay Star News.
‘It also just happens to be Valentine’s Day! So we thought it would be nice for those without partners to also receive some flowers!’
One of Hatti’s lucky recipients | Photo: Hatti Smart
Helping others can make you happier too
But this action goes beyond helping others, it is clinically proven ‘being kind of others to others is good for the soul.’
It sounds fluffy, but the UK’s Mental Health Foundation explains:
‘Helping others promotes positive physiological changes in the brain associated with happiness. Engaging in random acts of kindness can help decrease these feelings and stabilize our overall health.’
The random acts of kindness table at RVC | Photo: Hatti Smart
Smart explains why this is important in particular for Veterinary students:
‘Mental health is such a deep issue within the Veterinary profession and little things like this are so simple to give someone a boost to their day’
Statistics show that Vet students are three times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, according to Vet Life. This is in part due to the demands and stress in the industry.
Students could pick flowers and cards and are encouraged to pass the kindness on | Photo: Hatti Smart
President of the Royal Veterinary College Student Union Christina Marie Paish says: ‘Vet students are renowned for their highly stressful course but here at RVC we are so lucky to have a small caring community. Campaigns like this really can make all the difference. ‘
But Smart hopes giving the flowers out today will encourage others to be kind.
‘It’s a hard time on campus for students and staff with exams just around the corner. As someone that has suffered from anxiety and depression, I know how important being part of a community and how much of an impact little acts of kindness can have.’
More from Gay Star Students:
Forget a boyfriend this valentines day focus on loving your best gay self
