STORY BY JASON GREEN, STAFF WRITER
PHOTO BY JASON GREEN, STAFF WRITER
One week before worldwide Neurodiversity Celebration Week, the Academics, Relationships, Independence, Self-Advocacy, Emotional Health program, also known as ARISE, at Cypress College, hosted a stone painting event as part of a week-long event, “Neurodiversity Week”, on March 12 in the Business Building, Room 119.
ARISE adjunct counselors, Christina Lakeman and Hailie Hurtado had a table with several stones on it with paint near them for students to paint.
A few students and the counselors participated in painting the stones.
Lakeman said that the point of “Neurodiversity Week” is to spread awareness and educate people on neurodiversity. She also said that the event highlights the importance of various students who are neurodivergent on campus as people may not understand or know what neurodiversity is.
ARISE is a resource and wellness program for people who have disabilities, primarily those with neurological disabilities, for example, autism. The program can help students who are trying to strategize ways to succeed academically.
According to Harvard Health, “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.”
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for neurological disabilities or types of neurological developments such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and Down syndrome.
The ARISE program spans across the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) and North Orange Continuing Education’s (NOCE) campuses. There are three locations in total, which are located at the NOCCCD’s Anaheim campus, Cypress College, and NOCE’s Wilshire Center.
Lakeman describes the ARISE program at Cypress as a safe space for any student who is feeling overwhelmed or needs a quiet place. ARISE at Cypress provides monthly workshops and activities for students to destress such as coloring, meditations, aroma therapy, or discussing a student’s situation. She also mentioned that a student does not have to be part of Disability Support Services to benefit from the program.
Lakeman said that stone painting was selected as one of the events because “students typically like to paint, it’s a relaxing activity, and then, it’s something you can take with you, and it can be used as a fidget [toy].”
If a student is stressed in class, Lakeman said that a student can place the rock they painted on the table and look at it to remember how they felt while painting it to destress as a coping mechanism.
NOCE Cypress Center student Jenny Dao, said that painting stones is destressing.
Donna Burgos, another NOCE Cypress Center student, said that stone painting, “keeps my mind off the test I did today”. Burgos said that the ARISE room helped her socialize with people and make friends.
Lakeman also mentioned there have been struggles with ARISE when it comes to getting students to participate in the program.
“[Students] finding us has been a struggle because we’re kind of tucked away in the Business building,” Lakeman said, “We are always trying to promote us, promote ourselves.” ARISE posts their events on their Instagram account, @cypresscollegearise.
ARISE used to be at NOCE Cypress Center’s campus, but it did not collaborate with Cypress College. ARISE merged with Cypress in 2020, but due to Covid-19, ARISE had to stick to online support, until its space in the Business Building opened in 2022.
ARISE’s “Neurodiversity Week” will continue on Wednesday and Thursday.
On March 13, from 11:00 a.m. to 1 p.m., ARISE will host the event, “Explore Your Senses”, which will teach students how to use the five senses to ease anxiety.
On March 14, at 11:00 a.m., ARISE will have a “Calming Spaces Tour”, in which the program will take a tour with students around the college to show places across campus that are calming or quiet.
In April, ARISE will conduct workshops during Earth Week.
ARISE has been a space for not only NOCE Cypress Center students but also for Cypress students, in which they conduct events like “Neurodiversity Week”, to support neurodiverse students and educate others.
