Jacqueline Keane '22 Recruiting Profile

My family has had a major impact on creating the person that I am today.  At a very young age, I lost complete hearing in my one of my ears.  My parents have always told me to not let obstacles in my life hinder my pursuit of my dreams. Therefore, I decided that I would not let my hearing loss stop me. Further, my parents instilled  the value of persistence in me from a young age, so I knew I could overcome my limitations through hard work, no matter whether I am in the classroom or on the soccer field.

I began playing soccer in a co-Ed recreational league on a team of mainly boys.  After a few years of playing, I realized my love for the game and joined the local travel team.  I went in playing at my age level and was invited to assist two to three years above my age on a team that went on to winning a presidents cup national championship. Many of these older girls have graduated, and some are playing soccer in college now, but I still continue to play on the club’s oldest youth team.  As I continued to grow as a player, I decided during my freshman year to join ODP to improve my skills. After a few months with the team, I was chosen to be on the Illinois state select team, where I continued to play for both of my years with ODP. I have played in five regional tournaments with this team playing against other state select teams.  As for high school, freshman year I was placed on the JV1 team, and I was the top scorer.  My performance on JV1 earned me the opportunity to play up on varsity numerous times that season.  Sophomore year, I made varsity, but unfortunately, our season was cut short due to Covid-19.  However, I have seen this time of pandemic as an opportunity for improvement.  I have learned to be my own personal motivator in my workouts because I do not have teammates around me as I usually would, and I am prepared to make a big impact for my varsity team whenever we return to play.

The perseverance I have learned in soccer has carried over to the classroom as well.  Doctors were concerned that my hearing loss at such a young age would negatively impact my academic progress, but I was determined to not let this stop me.  I am currently at the top of my class, and I hope to continue this throughout my remaining years of high school.  Looking to the future, I am looking forward to pursuing both an undergraduate and post graduate degree in business or industrial engineering.  I ultimately hope to own a business where I can live comfortably while making a positive impact on others’ lives.