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Champions of Character Honorees Named

Champions of Character Honorees Named

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LA GRANDE, Ore. – Jackie Hendrickson of Concordia University (Ore.) and Jacob Kopra of Corban University (Ore.) have been voted the 2011-12 recipients of the Cascade Collegiate Conference’s Champions of Character Award, the conference office announced Wednesday. Hendrickson was the female winner, while Kopra earned the male honor.

The Champions of Character Awards, symbolic of the NAIA’s signature national program designed to promote character development in youth and change the culture of sport, are given annually to the male and female student-athletes in the CCC who best exemplify the core tenets of respect, responsibility, integrity, sportsmanship and servant leadership.
 
The CCC's 2012 nominee for the NAIA Leroy Walker Champions of Character Award, Hendrickson was both highly decorated and highly involved as a student on the Concordia campus. Hendrickson, a women’s soccer student-athlete, graduated this May with honors in Business Administration and a 3.93 GPA. In gathering her own shelf-full of academic awards, Hendrickson has been named a 2011 Rhodes Scholar Nominee by Concordia, a 2011 Capital One Academic All-American first-team member, a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, the 2011 Concordia Female Scholar Athlete of the Year and a two-time CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District VIII first-team member.
 
Hendrickson, however, has accomplished all of that while maintaining a consistent leadership role on campus. Hendrickson has served as a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team, a Finance and Accounting Tutor and as a member of the Concordia Business Leaders as well as The Navy Executive Council. At the same time, Hendrickson has also volunteered her time at the Lutheran Elementary School Tournament, as well as part of the Nike Back Your Block Program and a member of the Concordia Teacher Corps.
 
Amazingly, Hendrickson has still found time to work. Among several jobs in the past four years, Hendrickson has worked as a Campus Representative for Money Revolution, helping individual students manage their money, as well as a Game Management Supervisor for various Concordia athletic events. In addition, Hendrickson organized a TEDx conference on the Concordia campus, serving as Marketing Specialist and Show Director for the event.
 
Kopra, a student-athlete on Coban’s men’s basketball and baseball teams, has a 3.47 GPS. Kopra is Corban's Associated student body’s vice president elect. He participated in team leadership training, he was the male athletes' bible study leader, he did outreach missions work in Montana, including Vacation Bible School staff and basketball camp instructor. Kopra was a volunteer youth group staff member at a Dallas, Ore., church.
 
Kopra helped with a Habitat for Humanity project in Stayton, Ore. He worked as a volunteer during spring break on field maintenance for Cascade School District and Little League.
 
“Jake is known for his leadership throughout campus,” teammate Tyler Doornink said. “His work ethic during practices and during competition is a thing of beauty as it is obvious he is giving every second of playing time his highest effort. His fellow basketball and baseball athletes not only respect him, but look up to his example of leadership. When Kopra talks, everyone listens because he has earned that respect in all of his relationships.”
 
The conference office will release the CCC Female and Male Athletes of the Year Friday.

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