Mariana Jimenez walks into school after being away at a tennis tournament for three weeks, realizing the exhausting amount of work and time she is going to spend catching up; this is the reality of her life and many others as student athletes. 

According to the University of Connecticut: “Student Athletes should not only be encouraged but supported, as the amount of responsibilities they handle are far beyond any of their peers.” As a school with a numerous number of student athletes, we have to question the current way things work: Is the system for student athletes fair and helpful? And how is said system affecting students’ mental health? 

We asked the closest friend of tennis player Mariana Jimenez (ranked 3rd in her age group in Antioquia) if she thinks Mariana’s heavy workload as an athlete affects her mental health. “Based on what Mariana has told me, she struggles with stress because the workload is a lot  for the time she misses. Sometimes teachers aren’t flexible and ask for strict due dates Maria can’t manage.” Said Valentina Gutierrez, a 10th grade student athlete (V. Gutierrez, personal communication, 17 September 2025).

Maria is an example of a pattern presenting itself in Student Athletes; a poor system from the school leads to poor mental health. “The pressure of being a student athlete really takes a toll on her mental health and I feel like the school doesn’t do enough to support her.” commented Mariana’s close friend, Valentina Gutierrez (V. Gutierrez, personal communication, 15 September 2025). 

Sindy Villamizar tells us how she views her student athletes and what she does to support them. “Mariana is an ideal student for a high performance program; she is efficient, knows how the school system works, and answers well to pressure. However, I think if she had the same time as other students, her capacities and performance would be exponentially better.” explained Mariana’s AP Spanish teacher, Sindy Villamizar (S. Villamizar, personal communication, 16 September 2025).

In the interview, Sindy shares the system she implements as a teacher, and how she hopes to positively impact the student athletes she teaches. “ At such a young age, meeting those high standards is complex and can be overwhelming. That’s why the most important thing for me is that my student feels safe, to know they can communicate with me and I will respond positively and consistently.” reflected 10th grade spanish teacher, Sindy Villamizar (S. Villamizar, personal communication, 16 September 2025).