This post was updated Oct. 26 at 10:39 p.m.

Goats, pigs, chickens and hundreds of Bruins filled Wilson Plaza as part of the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s annual Healthcoming event Oct. 15.

Healthcoming – a festival hosted by USAC’s Student Wellness Commission to connect students with health and wellness resources available on campus – featured 24 campus organizations. SWC’s 12 committees, Resilience in Your Student Experience Center and the Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center also tabled at the event.

Over 500 attendees were able to spend time with a miniature pig, a rabbit, Polish chickens and two goats at a petting zoo, as well as ride a mechanical bull or find their zen at goat yoga – where child’s poses and upward-facing dogs were sometimes interrupted by goats climbing on participants’ backs.

Hannah Yip, the 2025-26 Student Wellness commissioner, said the primary purpose of the event was to connect students to health resources as early as possible in the quarter – especially for those who are newer to campus, such as first-year and transfer students.

This initiative is part of SWC’s allocated budget of $90,313 for the 2025-26 school year, Yip said in an emailed statement.

“It’s a huge campus and from personal experience, I know how overwhelming it is to find resources when you need them,” Yip said. “It’s really spreading awareness of the different kinds of resources that you might need when you want some mental health support or other things, so you don’t have to search for it yourself.”

Yip added that meeting the employees behind campus services and clubs can ease students’ hesitation about accessing them, making them more likely to seek out support, join organizations and take initiative on improving their wellness.

Matthew Dinh, a co-executive director of the Bruin Run/Walk event – a SWC committee that organizes an annual 5K race – said the event’s programming showcases the range of ways students can engage with wellness on campus, including sexual health education, mental health advocacy and philanthropic efforts. Dinh, a third-year biochemistry student, added that Healthcoming serves as an important reminder for students to prioritize their own well-being.

Hriday Adani, a third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student who attended the event, said he came to the event expecting to learn about campus resources but was pleasantly surprised after stumbling upon the fair’s activities, such as the petting zoo and goat yoga.

“Being an Indian, yoga is very integral to my culture and having these animals participate in this yoga with us in a symbiotic relationship, it is amazing,” Adani said. “It’s a very liberating experience. Whether you are a person afraid of animals or someone who’s extremely comfortable with them … you’ve ‘goat’ to try it.”

Sydney Hoang – a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology and political science student who attended the event – said the resources were creative and culturally competent.

Michelle Tritten, the owner and founder of Hello Critter – who has led sessions at UCLA since 2018 – said the event comes at an important point in the quarter when many students are beginning to feel stressed. The yoga, she added, helps them reconnect with nature and de-stress.

“When a goat jumps on your back, it releases so much tension and stress,” Tritten said. “It’s just a very organic, easy, fun way to let go, (or) ‘let goat.’”

Yip said Healthcoming is just one of many efforts she is planning this year to make wellness more accessible on campus – a priority she campaigned for when running for Student Wellness commissioner. The SWC currently tables on Bruin Walk weekly, offers a peer support lounge in Kerckhoff Hall and plans to host upcoming initiatives such as Sex Week, SuperCPR and Bruin Run/Walk, she added.

Beyond events and outreach, Yip added that SWC is hard at work behind the scenes to address deeper institutional barriers to care.

“Whether it’s staffing, whether it’s a lack of culturally competent resources or just not enough resources for students, those are all things we’re working on right now and trying to compile information on what students need,” Yip said. “But really with this event, it’s more about awareness of the current existing resources, which I also think is a huge barrier.”