As the weather fluctuates between warm and cold heading into spring, many college students attending class in January, February and March — Utah’s coldest, darkest and cloudiest months — are faced with the obstacle of seasonal affective disorder.

The disorder is a form of depression that returns annually as the seasons change to fall and winter, when days get shorter and darker. The condition begins to fade, as spring and summer return with longer days and more sunlight, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Symptoms often align with the common symptoms of clinical depression: Lack of energy, little interest in doing things, sleep irregularity, trouble concentrating and feelings of hopelessness. A study published in the medical news journal Medscape found that 5% of U.S. adults suffer from the disorder every year.

Such a depression can be “disruptive” to a student’s daily routine and academic progress, according to Salt Lake Community College counselor Scott Kadera.

“When we diagnose [any form of] depression or anxiety, part of that diagnosis is that it is negatively impacting social or occupational functions — like school or work — so if someone is having serious symptoms, it’s going to affect your ability to study, to go to class,” Kadera said. “It’s not that ‘you’re feeling bad.’ It’s that you’re not functioning how you normally would.”

Kadera said the disorder is predominantly linked with the lack of sunlight throughout the darker and colder months. According to Weather Spark, an online weather database, Utah’s cloudiest month on average is February, when the sky is overcast or cloudy 52% of the days, followed by the month of March, when it is cloudy about 51% of the days.

The average temperature rises from 37.8 degrees Fahrenheit in February to 46.6 degrees in March, according to a monthly climate breakdown of Salt Lake City on weather.us. March, which brings the first month of the spring, tends to remain chilly in Salt Lake City, with an average temperature ranging between 32.5 and 46.6 degrees.

Megan Malovich, an anthropology major at Salt Lake Community College, said these cold and cloudy months can make it a challenge to get into a routine until much later in the semester.

“I find getting up in the middle of a cold, depressing day with no plants, no sun and warmth very unmotivating to go to school and do what I need to do,” she said.

Malovich said the overcast weather, dry air and freezing temperatures make the spring semester more challenging than fall. She said she feels sluggish and less interested in school work than she does in warmer months.

“If you don’t have any motivation to get up and do anything at all,” she said. “The last thing you want to do is sit down and do math homework or write a paper.”

Kadera noted that the absence of regular sensory triggers can also cause seasonal depression.

“It’s cold, it’s dark, people are inside so it’s quiet, there are no flowers in bloom, there are not a lot of smells,” he said. “It’s sensory deprivation to me.”

Since seasonal affective disorder comes with the changing weather each year, Kadera said students can help notice the recurring symptoms of depression by being aware of their emotional wellbeing throughout the year.

Kadera encourages students to remember the feelings that come with the disorder are common and advises they check in with themselves by asking, “Am I feeling like my normal self, or am I feeling a little down or tired?”

“Then, you can go get it checked out by a professional, and if it is determined to be [seasonal affective disorder], there are treatments that can help,” he said.

Kadera said the main form of treatment is light therapy — exposing oneself to artificial light by sitting or working near a device that “gives off bright light that mimics natural outdoor light.”

The intensity of sunlight is measured in lux, and people need at least 30 minutes of 10,000 lux (the measurement of mid-day summer sun) daily to help treat depressive effects from the disorder, Kadera said.

“The treatment is to sit in front of [the light box] in the morning for a half hour, seven days a week, and it has been shown to help,” he said. “Improvement can happen within a week, but the full effect can take three-to-six weeks.”

Kadera also suggested taking advantage of the winter’s sunnier hours by getting outside during the day. While he was living in Alaska — a state with extensive periods of darkness with few hours of daylight — Kadera said he and his coworkers combatted seasonal affective disorder by using their lunch hour to get outside.

“The sun wouldn’t come up until 10 or 10:30 a.m. and then by 2 p.m., it was dark again, so we had a three- to three-and-a-half [hour] window of light,” he recalled. “We would all go walk around campus for a half hour.”

For those struggling with their academics due to the disorder, Kadera suggests visiting a counselor to try to get back on track. He noted that often, if students are unmotivated, it will be harder to concentrate and more likely they will miss class, and that studying does not sink in because their thinking has been compromised.

“With counseling, that [motivation] improves,” Kadera said. “It’s more like, ‘I’ve got a bit more energy, and I’m able to go to class and pay attention,’ and things start to sink in.”

 Alexie Zollinger wrote this story as a journalism student at Salt Lake Community College. It is published as part of a collaborative including nonprofits Amplify Utah and The Salt Lake Tribune. 

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This story is jointly published by nonprofits Amplify Utah and [Your Media Organization's Name] to elevate diverse perspectives in local media through emerging journalism. Alexie Zollinger wrote this story as a journalism student at Salt Lake Community College. For more stories from Amplify Utah, visit amplifyutah.org/use-our-work.

Under heavy sun, Salt Lake Community College students took to the Taylorsville Redwood campus for Trans Sports Ball Day, one of many events that commemorated the college’s pride month in June.

The June 26 event was a response to the political climate surrounding transgender participation in sports, said Peter Moosman, coordinator for the college’s Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center (GSSRC). Last year, Utah lawmakers voted to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in girls’ high school sports, but a judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the ban.

“Trans folks are being denied access to play sports. We wanted to do a response to that,” Moosman said, adding that the event was aimed at providing a space “where they can show up in full authenticity … to be intentional about creating space for people who feel marginalized and left out.”

The event started outside with bag toss, Frisbee, soccer and spike ball. As the heat increased, the activities were moved indoors, where participants played basketball and pickleball.

Charlie Erickson, a student specialist for the GSSRC who is majoring in social work, said he was “absolutely excited” about the event.

“There is a certain amount of queerphobia that comes with sports,” Erickson said. At the event, he added, “people can come out and play sports and not worry. I think it’s fun to be able to get out and do athletic things, regardless of your ability level. We’re judge-free, so we welcome anyone regardless of their sporting abilities.”

Cory Smith, a health sciences major, joined for the camaraderie. She also brought her little brother.

“I wanted to feel a sense of community, find people who are like me and understand my struggle, and be involved in my school,” Smith said. “It’s nice to have activities with SLCC outside of the regular sports activities.”

The issue of transgender inclusivity in sports, Erickson said, is “a big red herring. I think trans people perform at the same level as their peers after the waiting period.”

A 2020 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine concluded that more than 12 months of testosterone suppression “may be needed” to ensure transgender women do not have an unfair competitive advantage.

Speaking to the BBC podcast “The Sports Desk” last year, Loughborough University sports scientist Joanna Harper, a trans woman, said “the question isn’t, ‘Do trans women have advantages?’ but instead, ‘Can trans women and [cis] women compete against one another in meaningful competition?’”

Harper added, “Truthfully, the answer isn’t definitive.”

For Erickson, SLCC’s Trans Sports Ball Day was a chance for the college’s queer community to be themselves. “This is the kind of space where we don’t care if you’re an oddball or a star player – you’re invited,” they said.

Teresa Chaikowsky wrote this story as a journalism student at Salt Lake Community College. It is published as part of a collaborative including nonprofits Amplify Utah and The Salt Lake Tribune.

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The Glendale Middle School field is alive with cheers and shouts while the Majestics Girls Rugby Club is hard at work. Their spring season is underway, so even as the sun beats down, they’re not holding back.

Practice isn’t easy. Rugby is an intense contact sport. That means sprinting, tackling, dodging and scrummaging are all regular drills on the pitch as the girls prepare to take on teams around Utah and compete in national tournaments.

Majestics head coach Angela Tuiaki started the club for high school girls six years ago alongside her sister Jen Sika. The team has seen massive improvement since its start, according to Tuiaki, taking home state and national championship titles. But in the past few years, she said the sport as a whole has grown, too. She’s noticed more positive attention on women’s rugby than ever before, and she largely credits that to one specific name: Ilona Maher.

“There's rugby, the word rugby, and then there's Ilona’s name next to it. That's how people understand it,” Tuiaki said. “If her name is not next to rugby, people will be like, ‘Wait, what's rugby?’ Well, you know, Ilona, and they're like, ‘Oh yes!’”

Angela Tuiaki addresses the Majestics team following afternoon practice. She started the club six years ago with her sister to create a place for girls who don’t fit in other sports.(Elle Crossley, KUER)

Ilona Maher is a rugby star turned influencer with millions of followers across Instagram and TikTok. That’s more than any other rugby player in the world — man or woman. She helped lead the USA Women’s Rugby Sevens team to win a bronze medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Beyond her athletics, her funny, genuine and inspiring brand has attracted a massive fanbase.

“I love that she goes out there and that she's not afraid of what the world thinks, but she's sure of who she is,” Tuiaki said.

Maher is strong and proud of it. The Vermont native’s body is muscular, and she’s used her platform to spread love for bodies of all shapes and sizes.

“This body is amazing and it does amazing things for me, and there isn’t one body type for female athletes or for women,” Maher said in a 2022 TikTok. “So, today, I want you all to look in the mirror and appreciate what you got, realize what it does for you, and remember you are beautiful.”

Like other star athletes like Caitlin Clark, Mia Hamm and Billie Jean King, Ilona Maher has transformed the landscape of her sport.

Following her Olympic medal last summer, USA Youth and High School Rugby reported a 19% jump in girls registered for the 2024-2025 season. Now, girls make up 40% of school-age rugby players.

Young Utah athletes like 17-year-old Marley Larkin, captain of the Majestics, say they can feel the difference. Larkin said the influencer has made the sport more inclusive.

“She's brought a lot of great respect and confidence for body shapes and body sizes, especially because every body kind of goes to a different position,” Larkin said. “ You need all these different body sizes, shapes to complete the rugby team.”

 The Majestics Girls Rugby Club is based in Salt Lake City’s Glendale neighborhood. The team has brought home the Utah State Championship title the past three years. (Elle Crossley, KUER)

Eseta Moala is in the eighth grade and plays for the Layton Christian Academy’s girls rugby club, just north of the Majestics. She said Maher taught her to use her strength to her advantage.

“At first, I was embarrassed because of my size. Like, what are they gonna think? But she didn't really care about her size,” said Eseta Moala, whose sister Luisa plays on the same team. “[Maher] just decided to play, and now she it's her beauty. That's how she stands out.”

The girls’ mother, Victoria Moala, noticed a difference in how the positive role model helped boost her daughters’ self-esteem. And as a Polynesian woman, that impact is even more significant.

“My girls, they're Tongan, and so their bodies are built a little bit different from their peers,” Victoria Moala said.

She said her daughters previously struggled with body image. Even though Maher is not Polynesian herself, Victoria Moala noted the rugby star has taught her daughters to build their confidence through the sport.

“Seeing her, what she's accomplished, gives my daughter someone to look up to,” Victoria Moala said. “Just using their background as Polynesians, to be able to push that forward and represent who their true identity is being Polynesian, and then to take advantage, take that onto the field and be proud of themselves.”

Sisters Eseta (Right) and Luisa Moala (Left) play on the Layton Christian Academy’s girls club rugby team. They both say they look up to Maher and are inspired by her confidence. (Elle Crossley, KUER)

Utah has the nation’s third-highest population of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders behind Hawaii and Alaska, according to a Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute analysis of census data. Angela Tuiaki said the Majestics are an almost all-Polynesian team, and Maher has shown them how rugby can create opportunities for their future.

“They're starting to make that connection, ‘I could be up there. I could bring a platform to actually show the world who I am, too,’” Tuiaki said.

Some of the Majestics players are starting to get that recognition. Marley Larkin has committed to Dartmouth College in 2025 to play Division 1 rugby and continue her education. She wants to keep the cycle of inspiration going.

“It's not about us, it's about the community. The people around looking even at a bigger scale to see, to have other Poly girls, other Pacific Islander Girls, look at our team and know it's possible,” Larkin said. “‘Oh, I can do it too. They can do it, I can do it as well.’”

Elle Crossley is an intern with Amplify Utah and KUER covering the Utah State Legislature and other local news.