Upcoming Event: Men's Tennis at TCU on April 4, 2026 at 1:00 PM
1:00 PM
Men's Tennis
at TCU
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The University of Utah Athletics
PAUL TOALA | #UTAHGRAD19
Communication Studies | 3.3 GPA | Burien, Washington | Utah Football
“I find balance by focusing on one thing at a time so I don’t give my teachers, coaches or family anything less than my best.”
I decided to choose The University of Utah because it felt like home. Athletics accompanied with nationwide recognition in academics made Utah the easy choice.
A tip I have found helpful to be able to balance football, academics and being a father and husband is to find the reason why you’re doing things. Knowing your why will help you overcome any conflicts that come up. Being a great husband to the love of my life and a great father to our amazing 7-month-old daughter helped me both in football and academics. Forcing myself to stay up late to study and work hard in football was due to realizing that my efforts were for more than just me and I was doing it for my family. I find balance by focusing on one thing at a time so I don’t give my teachers, coaches or family anything less than my best.
The biggest emotions I’m feeling toward graduation are gratitude and accomplishment. Since I was a little kid, my parents would make higher education a priority. My beautiful mother passed away from ovarian cancer while I was on my LDS mission in Mexico, and I know that she would be so proud to see me walk across the stage with my degree. I wish she was here to see it happen, but to be able to see my father’s face will be just as amazing since he sacrificed time and money to make this possible. I feel gratitude toward all of the people that have helped me over my life. My academic advisors, Sarah and Cassidy, put me in position to succeed in the classroom. Coach Jim Harding was responsible for my maturation on the field. My family gives me love and support, and my daughter's late night cuddles always helped.
In five years I see myself as an important figure in society. I want to be able to make an impact on high schoolers who have dreams of playing sports in college and be an advisor to them. I want people to know that I wasn’t perfect at all aspects of school or football, but I gave it my all, and now I’ll be walking across the stage getting my degree.