Through running, writing, and classes in psychology, Ethan Rose ’26 found his voice — and a calling

Ethan Rose ’26’s path to Earlham began through soccer. After years of playing at the middle and high school levels, he created a highlight video of his skills in hopes of playing at the collegiate level, which ultimately reached Earlham Men’s Head Soccer Coach Aaron Gustine.

“When I received this email from the head soccer coach at Earlham, it was the best one I’d received,” Rose explains. “He really outlined why being an athlete and student at Earlham were a great opportunity.”

When Rose visited Earlham, he was drawn in: small class sizes, student-professor relationships, and a close-knit community all appealed to him. “It was everything I was looking for,” he says.

College became much more than soccer for Rose: he played a season of soccer, but he also chose to run track and cross country for multiple seasons, which became sources of athletic joy and, at times, mental health challenges. He took a music theory class and learned the piano, which he still takes time to play now. He worked as a writer for the Earlham Word student newspaper, and he even danced in Dance Alloy.

As he progressed through his Exercise, Sports, and Health Studies major, he discovered the class “Sports Psychology” taught by Professor of Psychology Vince Punzo, and he now sees clinical mental health work in his future. 

“I want to counsel athletes,” Rose says. “I don’t just want to help them with their performance, but also clinical mental health issues that arise.”

“The book is about my journey of going from a timid, lost boy to a multi-sport college athlete with numerous accolades. I reflect on my mental health experience in and out of competition, and my constant pursuit of finding self-validation through success and adversity.”

— Ethan Rose ’26

Rose’s own experience with the mental highs and lows of his athletic career, as well as his personal passion for the written word, motivated him to pen his own athletics memoir, “Have Courage. It Will Be Worth It.” He self-published the book in late 2025.

“It’s about my journey of going from a timid, lost boy to a multi-sport college athlete with numerous accolades,” Rose said. “I reflect on my mental health experience in and out of competition, and my constant pursuit of finding self-validation through success and adversity. Simply put, my book is my life through my athletic journey.”

Rose isn’t settled on one path for next year: he’s considering a clinical mental health graduate program, but is also open to other possibilities for next year, including volunteer work or spreading the word about his book to wider audiences.

Story written by Laura Leavitt for the Earlham College Office of Marketing and Communications.

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About Earlham College 

Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.