By Ike Ejikeme —
Jessica Chandler, 21, Fire Science major from Arizona, was voted to the Capital One Academic All-District Women’s Soccer first team. Being a student athlete is never an easy task, but for Jessica she is not only a great athlete on and off court, but she is also an outstanding leader.
“I think it’s more an example for younger teammates,” Chandler said about her accomplishment. “We’re student-athletes so we’re students first. I think sometimes that gets lost. It’s nice to see someone can be recognized for not only what they do on the field but also for what they do in the classroom. That’s what’s going to help us move forward in our lives. Most of us are not going to go pro in our sports but we’re going to have a career based off of how we do in school. I think it’s an important example to set for student-athletes coming in that it can be done—you can play sports and do well in school. It’s a myth that that’s impossible.”
This is the exact mentality that every student athlete should have in order to achieve the highest amounts of success possible.
Not only is Jessica soccer star, but she is also part of the softball team. While still being a two sport athlete, she is a nationally-certified EMT (emergency medical technician), serves as a volunteer student-teacher in emergency personnel fitness and is a student indoor events manager for athletic contests held in the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center.
With all the extracurricular activities Jessica was involved in 2012, she earned National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar-Athlete honors for maintaining a perfect 4.00 GPA. Jessica Chandler is a living testament to the fact that student athletes can excel in their sport and in the classroom. As she awaits to hear if she made the Capital One Academic All-America National Team first, second and third-team All-America, she will continue her exceptional job in the classroom and hopefully inspire her peers and those younger in age to be scholars first and athletes second.