By Sonny Petrongolo and Gavin Graff

Jake, a student-athlete on the Rowan campus, has one of the toughest lifestyles to live. Jake is a Biomedical Engineering major at Rowan and plays on the soccer team. Jake says, “ balancing school work and athletics can be a difficult task on any campus, a lot of the time is already taken up by classes and the workload required by each class”. Jake has to wake up earlier than most kids on campus to head to his 7 am workouts and then heads to class. He said,” even though it causes stress with all the school work and practice it helps to get out and kick the ball around to relieve some of that stress”. Jakes spends countless hours in the classroom and on the soccer field, he strives to do his best in both and for any person that can cause a great deal of stress. Jake talks about how about the great resources on campus like the wellness and the athletic trainers who really strive to do their best to make sure you are okay at all times.

Mike is an engineering major with a minor in computer science, this major requires a lot of effort in the classroom and out of the classroom. I know Mike personally and he really strives to do his best work all the time. Mike says what helps in staying focused and not stressed is “ to start my work early and always be ahead of the game so I don’t get stressed about getting my work done, what helps me when I’m stressed is to just put everything down and just lay in bed or go to the rec center to work out and just forget about work”. I believe in getting some alone time and just not having to worry about your school work and just go out and do the things you want to do. Rather than sit cooped up in your dorm room doing school work go out and enjoy what’s around and become stress-free.

Dean is an Emergency Management major with the goal to have an occupation meaningful and important to him and the world. I have known Dean since I was very young, he has always worked hard and found a way to any goal that came to his mind, no matter the time and effort needed. Dean considers his first year at Rowan a learning lesson as he struggled in the first-semester adjusting but has improved since. Dean mentioned, “ I could not handle the balance of school, work, friends, and girlfriend. Luckily with my parents’ support, having a job is not necessary for me while in school. My life has gotten tremendously easier, allowing me to succeed in every class.” Dean has had his ups and down in the transition of his first year at college, but has adapted in order to be mentally healthy and succeed.

Bash, a freshman who is currently undecided, does not have it easy. When asked about his mental health, he chuckled. Bash then explained to me the hardships he faces currently. Bash’s family does not have all the money in the world, he is only barely able to pay the bills on time for the semester, by working at his uncle’s gas station typically 5 days a week whenever he is not in class. He describes the stress he endures about finding time to study and get assignments done while he works many hours most days. Bash seemed to have no trouble talking about this tough situation he faces, as it seemed like he needed someone to talk to about it. The biggest factor causing his mental health to be affected is the lack of time to de-stress with friends or family. Before continuing on with his day, he ensured me that even though his situation seemed troubling, he is used to adversity and will never stop working hard to be successful in life.

Taylor, an education major, seems to have her life in order despite suffering from diagnosed depression. When asked about how college affects her mental health, she had to put thought into it. She then explained to me how she has been learned to deal with mental health problems all her life and college was just another step in life for her. Taylor is doing all the right things to support her mental health such as staying on top of school first. She has a part-time job at a retail store as well and is able to balance her priorities while having a social life on the weekends. Taylor through her life has learned to fight depression and succeed. This experience has her set up for success in college as she knows how to deal with mental health probably more than most of us.