This article was originally published by Olivia Allen in the Quad-City Times on January 25, 2023. Photo credit Nikos Frazier.
Tejan Jah described his first semester at St. Çï¿ûÊÓƵ as a "learning experience," which isn't unique to college students.
What's different for the 20-year-old is that he transferred to SAU from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.
"I transferred, because I wanted to switch my major and Ambrose has a really good kinesiology program. And, it's back at home, so I just felt like it'd be a better fit for me here," Jah said. "Kind of just re-establishing a college life and walking into a new college experience, I'd say, was a big learning experience for me."
Before his debut at SAU's campus, Jah — also a soccer player — said he expected a degree of challenge when looking to make new friends as a transfer student.
"I feel like a lot of people already had their cliques, connections and friends that they've made from freshman year," he said. "Luckily, soccer helped me with that, just being around my teammates all the time. They're super friendly."
Learning how SAU lectures work was another adjustment, though he feels it has helped him develop specific academic skills.
"I think it drove me to really pay attention to the professor, listen and take really good notes," Jah said. "It's really lecture-based here with exams, at least for the classes I took."
To help pay for college, Jah works at the TBK Bank Sports Complex and coaches for the Quad Cities Rush.
"My parents are helping me pay for a little bit until I get out of college, then I'll take over paying for my loans," he said, adding he also earned athletic and diversity scholarships, which took care of a "good chunk" of his tuition costs.
On the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), Jah thinks class instruction and campus training related are a "big necessity."
"It's 2023 now, and I just feel like that stuff should be regular. It's not a big deal anymore. … I feel like that kind of stuff, like learning about LGBTQ+ community, should be in our curriculum," he said. "I took a philosophy class that really focused on the world we want; We brought up a lot of issues going on right now with human rights."
Though Jah acknowledges his kinesiology classes don't often deal with DEI-related or political topics, he still thinks schools shouldn't be limited in their instruction on those matters.
"I feel like politics are too much involved in education right now," he said. "But I feel like Ambrose does a really good job of being inclusive. I really don't ever feel 'pushed away' because of my race, and I feel like everyone here is very welcoming."
Jah listed the World Cup and the Russia-Ukraine conflict as the most impactful events from fall 2022, referencing Ukrainian or Russian international students he's met through college.
"Just the tensions and what they (international students) had to be going through, knowing their hometowns were going through that," he said. "I feel like the pressure of if the U.S. was going to get involved and what that would come down to was big during the school year."
Reflecting on how higher education differs across generations, Jah said college students today face more pressure, including from social media.
"A lot more people are more aware of what you're doing. For instance, it was a pretty big deal that I transferred to Ambrose," he said. "And that was through social media. I didn't even post it personally."
This fall, Jah prioritized balancing a new academic setting with athletics and didn't participate in extracurriculars, which he hopes to change now that soccer season is over.
"I would like to get more involved in the community, especially on campus," he said. "I feel like this semester, if I reach out to join and help different communities on campus, I can meet new people and make new friends."
As he looks to become more involved, Jah said he's learned to balance life as a student athlete by planning out his day.
"If we had an away game, I made sure that I either got my assignments done the next day, or I was doing them on the bus," he said. "Staying ahead of the game, especially as a student athlete, is very imperative. I'd say the main misconception of student athletes, at least, is that we're only here for our sport. I just don't believe that's true, at least for a majority of us.
"We obviously know the reason why we're here. We're here to work — to do our academic work and our athletic work."