My name is Rodney McDonald and I was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi on March 2, 2005. At the age of 12, my family and I moved to Katy, Texas. There I continued playing football and won a state championship my junior year at Paetow High School. I graduated in 2023 and after being recruited by several schools, I decided to pursue my education at The University of Dubuque where I am currently a senior majoring in Health and Exercise Science with a minor in Coaching. My goal is to become a personal trainer and/or coach. Additionally, I play defensive end on the football team. Moving almost seventeen hours away from home to Dubuque, was probably the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my life. That decision to leave behind my family, friends, and overall lifestyle would be tested my Freshman year as I faced an unexpected struggle with my physical and mental health. Early in my first semester, I struggled with not being able to eat or drink almost anything, along with consistent vomiting and weight loss. I dropped from 200 pounds to 140 pounds needless to say, this took a serious toll on me both physically and mentally. The the exhaustion from not having any nutrition was so severe that there were days I couldn’t get out of bed. It was a lot for an eighteen-year-old to handle. Late in the fall semester, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and I felt like my world had been shattered to pieces. By that time, the impact on my health and my academics was so significant that I could not go to class or play football. Eventually, I had to sit out of school for the spring semester. Although I had left the school, there were multiple teammates, coaches, trainers, and friends here at UD constantly checking up on me and making sure I was in good health. I hadn’t even been there for a full school term, but their support of and encouragement towards me was unwavering. It made me realize just how special of a place this is. Nobody from here had to keep in contact with me, but they did, and it gave me so much courage to keep persevering throughout the spring and summer of 2024. Eventually, I got my weight and strength back up and made a return to campus and began making an impact on the football team and continue to do so to this day. All because people from a small town that I had never heard of before saw something special in me. I am forever humbled and grateful for this school and its community.
