Guest Feature by Cate Sheahan, Waiākea Hawai‘i Student-Athlete Partner
When people picture life as a Division I student-athlete, they often imagine early practices, late nights studying, and busy weekends competing. While that’s true, being a student-athlete in Hawaiʻi adds an entirely different layer to the experience, one that most people don’t see.
Competing in the middle of the Pacific means travel isn’t a quick bus ride or short flight. Road trips routinely start with six-hour flights, crossing multiple time zones, and stretching into six-day trips. During the season, that often means missing class every other week, trying to stay academically present while physically thousands of miles away. It’s exhausting, unpredictable, and demanding but it’s also where I learned some of my most valuable lessons.
As a Division I soccer player at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, my schedule never looked like a typical college schedule. Days were packed with training, recovery, classes, tutoring sessions, and travel logistics. Add in time zone changes and red-eye flights, and suddenly balance isn’t about perfection, it’s about adaptability.
Learning to Function in Motion
One thing the student-athlete experience teaches you quickly is how to function while constantly in motion. Homework gets done on planes. Zoom meetings happen in hotel hallways. Recovery looks different when you’re sleeping in a new city every few days. I learned how to be intentional with my time because there was no other option.
That structure, even in the chaos, created a sense of control. When your schedule is unpredictable, the small habits matter most: hydration, sleep whenever possible, fueling properly, and mentally resetting when plans inevitably change. Wellness becomes less about routines and more about resilience.
Senior Year: When It All Collided
My senior year added a whole new challenge: the job search. While balancing travel, training, and academics, I was also applying for jobs, scheduling interviews across time zones, and preparing for life after soccer. There were days when I went from training, straight to class, straight to an interview, sometimes from a hotel room halfway across the country.
It was overwhelming. But it was also empowering.
The chaos forced me to grow. I learned how to communicate professionally under pressure, manage deadlines without ideal conditions, and stay confident even when I felt stretched thin. Those moments prepared me for the real world in ways I couldn’t have planned.
Why the Chaos Worked
Looking back, I don’t think I would have thrived in a perfectly balanced environment. The constant movement, the long travel days, the missed classes, and the packed calendar taught me adaptability, discipline, and perspective. I learned that balance doesn’t mean things are calm, it means you’re grounded enough to handle the noise.
Taking care of my body and mind became non-negotiable. Hydration, recovery, and mental resets weren’t extras, they were survival tools. Wellness became something I practiced in real time, not something I postponed for “less busy” days.
Carrying It Forward
The lessons I gained as a student-athlete at the University of Hawaiʻi reshaped how I understand wellness in every part of my life. Constant travel, academic pressure, and professional expectations taught me that wellness isn’t something you prioritize only when life slows down, it’s something you build into even the busiest days. Staying hydrated, prioritizing recovery, and protecting my mental space became non-negotiable habits that allowed me to show up consistently.
I learned that taking care of my body directly affected my ability to manage stress, stay focused, and perform under pressure. On long travel days and during demanding stretches, small choices, drinking enough water like my go-to Waiākea Nui 1L, eating intentionally, resting when possible, and mentally resetting, made the difference between burning out and staying grounded.
As I move forward into my career, I carry those habits with me. I’m confident in navigating fast-paced environments because I know how to take care of myself within them. The chaos that once felt overwhelming now feels manageable because wellness is what sustains momentum.
