Jaden J.

Jaden is a 22-year-old student-athlete from Atlanta, Georgia. He currently plays for the Belmont Abbey men’s tennis team while pursuing his Master’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. In the midst of balancing athletic and academic expectations, Jaden works as a tennis coach, does landscaping, and works in a restaurant. His hobbies include maintaining his physic by playing other sports such as basketball and pickleball, reading, and playing video games. Jaden’s story and mental health perspectives help capture the essence of discipline, drive, and having what it takes to push through unexpected challenges. 

Originally born in South Carolina, Jaden’s family moved around a lot during his adolescence. Finally, after a few years of moving from place to place, Jaden’s family settled in the metropolitan area of Atlanta. He described himself as being “the new kid on the block” which made it difficult for him to fit in with the other kids in the neighborhood. Although he was met with a lack of guidance from community influences, Jaden was raised by a strong mother and father who were able to teach him right from wrong. “It gave me a sense of originality to really just stick to who I am, like what I like, and not really follow the crowd,” Jaden expressed regarding upbringing. At times, Jaden’s community came together to help one another in need but they were also met with conflict. He recounted there being situations when his neighborhood disbanded due to high levels of crime which included gang and gun violence as well as robberies occurring down the street. Although experiencing conflict was a part of life, his community still radiated a sense of love through their gracious efforts to live together in peace. 

After seeing his mother earn her Master’s degree, Jaden opted to follow in her footsteps by pursuing a Master’s degree of his own. During his junior year of high school, he realized he had a passion that was greater than just playing sports but also representing other athletes so as a result, he set his sights on becoming a sports agent. Eventually, Jaden made his high school’s varsity team in which he also started winning his matches and getting noticed by college coaches. From that point on, Jaden was getting attention from numerous colleges with scholarships being offered left and right. Earning recognition from different universities gave Jaden the confidence to know he was making all the right moves to accomplish big things in his life. Ultimately, making decisions that he knew would lead him down a path of success helped him confidently choose to become a college athlete and study Business Administration. 

Jaden identified one of his goals in life as being able to travel the world. He started traveling here and there when he was around 14-years-old which only made him want to continue to experience new things. “I just want to see what the world has to offer,” Jaden stated. In particular, Jaden wants to travel to countries such as Spain, Argentina, and Brazil but is also open to more places so he can get a glimpse of what different cultures are like. Jaden credits his motivation to his family for providing him with the courage to keep pushing through difficult situations. “They have been a really great support system, especially for my mental health,” Jaden explained. After seeing his family prosper through many of life’s curveballs, Jaden realizes that ultimately, success comes from within by accessing the tool of self-motivation. The power of self-motivation can help people achieve their goals in any aspect of life including their career, family expectations, athletics, etc. 

When asked about his opinions regarding mental health, Jaden acknowledged that mental health is a subject that should be continuously studied for better improvement as a whole. Because the topic of mental health is relatively new to society, further development on issues and interventions should be put into place so the best possible courses of action can start to become normalized. Jaden’s perspective on mental health broadened after going through the traumatic experience of losing one of his close friends to suicide when he was in high school. “It's always stuck with me because it kind of made me grow up in terms of taking things more seriously,” Jaden explained, referring to the overall impact his friend’s death had on his mental state. 

After coming face to face with difficult challenges, Jaden and his cousin, who is a professional basketball player, made a plan with techniques that would keep them on track to follow down a successful path. They devised a plan to do something everyday that they didn’t want to do. For example, both him and his cousin hated running, so as a result, they started running everyday. But, the plan didn’t stop there as Jaden became encouraged to do more things he didn’t want to do to try and get himself out of his comfort zone. Other techniques Jaden utilizes includes practicing meditation and learning how to control his breathing patterns in an effort to keep his mind clear and void of unhealthy habits. He believes that by doing activities he isn’t fond of and finding techniques that practice self-control, he can keep unlocking higher levels of discipline for himself. 

When asked about advice he would give to others who are experiencing mental health challenges, Jaden emphasized the importance of reflecting on oneself to gauge the way their thought patterns work. Identifying issues and becoming self aware about the internal processes taking place in the mind. Jaden thinks that people should take a deeper look into discovering why people make decisions or why they feel a certain way towards something. “I believe it's smart to talk about how you feel, because you can really gain a sense of identity through just talking…,” Jaden expressed. 

Jaden’s story helps portray that true meaning behind having the courage to stay true to oneself. For much of his life, he has been motivated by his friends and family but ultimately took the time to discover his inner motivations for success. Taking time to care for his mental health has helped Jaden see his future with a clear picture as he becomes closer to achieving his goals everyday.