SACRAMENTO – Stanford women’s soccer forward Andrea Kitahata has been selected as a September 2025 recipient of the CalHOPE Courage Award.
Kitahata is joined by Jackson Giacone, a sophomore baseball player at Mt. San Antonio College, as the two honorees for September.
Presented monthly since February 2022, the CalHOPE Courage Award honors student-athletes at California colleges and universities who have overcome stress, anxiety, and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity. In addition to the recognition, a donation will be made on behalf of all honorees to support mental health services.
Here’s a closer look at the inspiring personal stories of these student-athletes:
Andrea Kitahata, Soccer, Stanford University
Stanford soccer standout Andrea Kitahata is being honored with the CalHOPE Courage Award for her vulnerability, resilience, and leadership in her mental health journey while excelling at the highest levels of collegiate soccer.
A redshirt senior forward and team captain, Andrea stood out as a top prospect for professional play. However, in fall 2022, the tragic loss of her close friend and teammate triggered a profound emotional upheaval. After just six games into her sophomore season, Andrea made the courageous choice to step away from soccer to focus on her well-being and mental health recovery.
Her return in 2023 marked a powerful comeback: she participated in all 25 matches and earned All-Pac-12 second team honors, reinforcing that mental strength and athletic excellence go hand in hand. Last season, she was just as impactful, scoring 9 goals and adding 6 assists in 22 games. Choosing her mental health over early professional opportunities, including offers from the National Women's Soccer League and interest from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Women’s Champions League, Andrea chose to stay at Stanford this year for her fifth season, continuing both her play and advocacy. Through 11 games this season, she has scored seven goals and added six assists for the third-ranked Cardinal.
“Working through the grief of losing someone, who was part of my daily routine and suddenly disappeared, took everything out of me,” said Andrea. “Feeling the pressure of playing time, starting spots, and my career, I wanted nothing more than to push my emotions down and be on the field. As an athlete, you’re taught to muscle through pain. It took me six months to realize that this pain meant that I was not on the right track.”
Off the pitch, Andrea has become a powerful voice for mental health awareness, co-creating the documentary, It’s Time We Talk About It, advocating on national television, supporting the Katie’s Save foundation, and mentoring young female athletes through Female Footballers.
Jackson Giacone, Baseball, Mt. San Antonio College
Mt. San Antonio College baseball player Jackson Giacone is being honored with the CalHOPE Courage Award for his extraordinary resilience in the face of life-altering adversity.
A standout athlete from Eureka High School, Jackson realized his lifelong dream in 2022 when he earned a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton, one of the nation’s premier college baseball programs. Just days into his freshman season, he looked ready to make an impact, hitting a triple and a home run in an intrasquad series, before his world suddenly changed.
Jackson suffered a freak accident in the batting cages that crushed his C5 vertebrae and fractured his C4-C6, leaving him temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. Although the paralysis was temporary, nobody knew how much it would impact his baseball career going forward.
He underwent two major surgeries to repair and stabilize his spine, spending nearly two weeks in the U.C. Irvine trauma center, fighting through complications like blood clots and unstable blood pressure. The physical challenge was immense, but the mental toll of having his dream ripped away so suddenly was even greater.
Through it all, Jackson refused to give up. He leaned on his family, teammates, and coaches, learning the importance of asking for and accepting help. Just 15 days after his accident, he walked back onto the field to stand with his team. Four months later, he was throwing again; by the next summer, he was back playing competitive baseball.
After transferring last year to Mt. San Antonio College for a fresh start, Jackson played in 48 of their 51 games at outfield and third base, posting a .237 batting average with 2 home runs, 32 runs batted in, 28 runs scored, and 9 stolen bases. He capped off his remarkable comeback with a 3-5 performance at the plate in the championship game and helped lead the Mounties to their first state championship in 60 years.
“There were days when it was hard to not be on the field. The physical pain was one thing, but mentally, it was hard to accept that my dream might be over,” said Jackson. “What got me through was learning to ask for help and accepting it from my doctors, physical therapists, family, coaches, and teammates. They reminded me to believe in myself. My goal of playing baseball again gave me purpose, and step by step, it pushed me past every setback.”
About the CalHOPE Courage Award
The monthly CalHOPE Courage Award is presented by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press; CalHOPE, a Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) crisis counseling and support resource; and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being.
“CalHOPE is honored to continue recognizing student-athletes statewide who have overcome challenges to perform their best as both scholars and athletes,” said Autumn Boylan, Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships at DHCS, which oversees CalHOPE. “CalHOPE’s purpose is to build community resilience and help people recover from disasters and public health emergencies through free outreach, crisis counseling, and support services. We hope that by sharing these stories of courage, all will be inspired.”
At the end of the school year, two of the student-athletes will be selected as the CalHOPE Courage Award winners. The previous winners were: 2025 - Mya Wang (lacrosse, University of California, Berkeley) and Will Bermudez (baseball, University of California, Irvine); 2024 – Cameron Nelsen (volleyball, Antelope Valley College) and Myron “MJ” Amey (basketball, San Jose State); 2023 - Anysa and Amaya Gray (soccer, University of California, Berkeley) and Nigel Wilson (basketball, Pasadena City College); and 2022 - Julia Schwayder (lacrosse, Occidental College) and Breyon Jackson (basketball, San Francisco State).
Stories about all CalHOPE Courage Award honorees are available at CalHOPECourageAward.org and via social media at @CalHOPE_Courage.
Sports information directors at all colleges and universities in California are encouraged to nominate deserving intercollegiate student-athletes at CalHOPECourageAward.org. The honorees are selected by a panel of writers, editors, The Associated Press, and the College Sports Communicators.
ABOUT CalHOPE
CalHOPE is a multi-level campaign run by DHCS to connect people with vital mental health and wellness resources and information to help them navigate during times of crisis. CalHOPE offers critical behavioral health crisis counseling programs and uses a public health approach that is focused on strength-based strategies for building resiliency and connecting people to the support they need. CalHOPE partners with the California Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being to promote the CalHOPE Courage Award. CalHOPE resources may be accessed by calling the program’s warm line at (833) 317-HOPE (4673) or visiting www.calhope.org.
College Sports Communicators: CSC is the premier membership association for all strategic, creative and digital professionals working in intercollegiate athletics across all levels for colleges, universities and conferences across the United States and Canada. CSC provides year-round leadership, community, professional development/education, recognition and advocacy for its 4,700 members. Founded in 1957 as the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization rebranded in 2022 to position itself as a more inclusive organization for communicators in all types of roles and to lead an industry change where strategic and creative professionals are more aligned. To learn more, visit CollegeSportsCommunicators.com.
The Associated Press (AP): The AP is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, The AP is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from The AP. For more information, visit www.ap.org.