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My name is Alex Rashid. I am from Lodi Wisconsin where I was born and raised. I graduated from Lodi High School in 2022. My freshman year I attended St. John’s University in Minnesota, after my freshman year I decided St. Johns was not the right fit for me. I then transferred here, to The University of Dubuque to play a year of football with my older brother Ben Rashid. Making this transition to the University of Dubuque was not only difficult mentally because I was leaving my close friends I had at St. Johns, but my grandfather also passed away July 7th, 2023, the summer I was transferring here. This was difficult mentally because transferring to a new school I felt like I had nobody I could talk to about my emotions. I struggled with depression which is something I never thought I would deal with in my life. I struggled getting out of bed each and every morning, I felt as if I had a mental fog constantly. I did not want to have interactions with teammates, keeping earbuds in between classes. During this time, I felt like I should hang up the cleats and drop out of school. It wasn’t in tell I met a few close friends who I was able to share my emotions with, who truly cared about me and wanted to know how I was feeling and were constantly checking up on me to make sure I was doing okay. These close friends got me on the right track mentally and pulled me out of this constant mental fog I had. Mental health is something more student-athletes deal with than I ever would have realized. These friends inspired me to be the friend who is always checking in on people making sure they are doing well mentally. I am beyond grateful for finding a home away from home at the University of Dubuque, surrounded by people I consider my family.
