Jenna Junge '20 Recruiting Profile

Thank you for your time and interest- I will take advantage of the prompts provided and share some insight into me:

My Collegiate Goals and Aspirations revolve around the study of Oceanography and Conservation which has been a long time passion. Over the years, I have volunteered at our local aquarium, was lucky enough to do a shark dive in Hawaii, and last year I co-founded a High School Club which we named the West High Marine Health Ocean Conservation Club (MHOCC). Our efforts have grown in two years to over 50 members, raising over $1000.00 towards ocean protection, and we recently were representing a booth at the United Nations Civil Service Conference. This to me has broadened my goals and aspirations for my future as I have thrived academically alongside this pursuit. I'm grateful to know what I want to study not only for college, but to follow professionally. 

Alongside this passion which really developed when I was young, loving to swim and wanting to learn everything there was to know about sharks, I started playing soccer when I was 4. I developed quickly and joined a Comp Team when I was 8 with my nickname "Jenna the Jet". I was invited for 2-years to the Utah Olympic Development Team at age 11, and have been growing strong as a player and team mate since. I made Varsity my freshman year in High School, and am now closing out my senior year as Team Captain and Midfield starter. 

What a dream it would be to pursue both my professional and athletic passions and strengths moving forward in college. 

As I think about how to best sell myself as a Good Candidate for your Team, I imagine some important qualities a vital soccer team player would have- being passionate, coachable, compatible, confident, strong both technically and tactically, mentally and spatially aware, with a drive to succeed on and off the field- to name a few. As I shared regarding my Collegiate Goals and Aspirations, a range of these attributes have been critical for me to develop in order to have come this far.  This to me is a powerful resume of a Team Player which I hope you can see from my Profile.

What makes me Different From Other Recruits in Character, Athletics, Academics perhaps starts with my role as an International Baccalaureate (IB-Program) Candidate involving a rigorous high school course load equivalent to college general education classes. I am a student-athlete who balances school, sports, a job, volunteer work and family/ friendships- all making me who I am. I have no doubt many other athletes fit this mold and some are my best friends. In all humility, I feel confident that my role on my Teams over the years has been vital, that which I would bring to yours.

In closing, there are 2 life experiences that I do believe have strengthened my character and confidence, making me authentic- over the years I have been a strong player but I have not always been "fast". I was "Jenna the Jet" in my Rec-days. While I won years of juggling and footwork challenges from a great Comp-Coach Ryan, I was losing my focus on my best self, physically and mentally, as my step mom was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. We supported and loved her through a 3-year battle which of course we all lost a few years ago. My heart and mind will always thank her for the drive I have today. A part of me changed when she passed, a part that is now strong enough to reveal my best self. I am athletically fitter than many, mentally clear and focused, and intuitively aware of where my future lies. 

Thank for the consideration and opportunities that lie ahead.