After a head injury ended his college football career, James Cardon-Leota (PH & NEURO, '25) felt he'd arrived at a devastating dead end. The future he’d planned was gone, ripped away from him and replaced by an insurmountable wall. But despite the pain, Cardon-Leota refused to let this obstacle keep him down. He channeled all of his energy into his education instead, charting a new path for his future.
“There were so many barriers pushing me back, trying to lead me to live a different life, but I recognized and saw hope inside of education,” Cardon-Leota explains. His background with adversity taught him the value of proper physical and mental health, leading him to major in both public health and neuroscience. Studying these two disciplines together has helped him gain a deeper understanding of the human body. In combination with years of athletic competition, these experiences have taught him a great deal about the true value of health.
As a first-generation student, Cardon-Leota’s journey hasn’t been easy. Hurdles like dyslexia and standardized testing have threatened to hold him back. But despite the obstacles in his way, Cardon-Leota has succeeded in all his classes, often burning the midnight oil to achieve his dream. “I have for the last three or four years practically lived on campus,” Cardon-Leota says. “It takes a love for the game, a love for knowledge.”
As a result, his double major has made him more eligible for opportunities like scholarships and internships, creating the support system he needs to achieve his goals. His qualifications in the life sciences helped him secure a twelve-week internship with the Ethiopian Community Development Council, where he helped advocate for policies to support refugees’ health. These opportunities taught him how health impacts individuals in real-life circumstances. “Public health truly is everything,” Cardon-Leota states. “If you look at so many different issues, it all leads back to public health.”
Cardon-Leota plans to pursue a career in health policy so he can create more opportunities for people to understand the value of their own health. “I want to be on the front line of the decision-making process, so that when marginalized groups aren’t brought up in the conversation, they will have a voice,” Cardon-Leota says.
Beyond his education, Cardon-Leota's time at BYU has helped him become a better person. “It’s helped me to grow,” Cardon-Leota explains. He’s grateful for the hope and community he has experienced at BYU and for the guidance he’s received in discovering how he can help others.
Cardon-Leota’s advice for students is to never give up. “If you have a good support system, then you can really remove a lot of the barriers in your life. They won’t come crumbling down all at once, but eventually you’ll break through,” he says. “You just have to keep breaking barriers until you’re free.”