My name is Jal Giet, and I am from Faribault, MN, and I graduated from Faribault High School in 2023. I’m currently a sophomore majoring in Wellness and Exercise Science and playing football at the University of Dubuque. I came into UD as a freshman in the fall of 2023 and things were initially going well for me as I balanced school and athletics, but soon I was feeling off mentally and emotionally, especially during my down time. There were days I felt things like self-doubt, and I worried about my future, especially about life after college and football. In the summer after my freshman year, I was having these same feelings, but they started to intensify and I started to lose focus on the main thing I loved to do, which was football. Eventually I decided not to come back to UD for my sophomore year. I felt that I needed time to clear my mind and decided to go into the workforce.
I got a full-time job at a warehouse and initially I liked the job, but as I started working for months on end, it started to become repetitive, and it got mentally and emotionally draining. Fortunately, though, the UD football coaching staff reached out in the summer and gave me a second chance to play the sport that I loved. I don’t regret the decision to come back and the team has treated me like a second family.
Prioritizing your mental and emotional health is crucial in life. My time away from school allowed me to realize the importance of doing this. UD has the resources to ensure that you are right in those areas, as life can hit you at any time. I just want to thank my teammates, the coaches, and UD as a whole for ensuring that I have the resources and support to prioritize my health. My decision to come back was focused on my love for football and getting a college degree while making sure that I had the support to ask for, seek out, and get help when needed.
