Student Athlete Advisory Committee Profile-Jessica Garner
LA GRANDE, Ore. - The Cascade Collegiate Conference sponsors a Student Athlete Advisory Committee
(SAAC) made up of representatives from each member institution. The function of the committee is to; discuss and provide feedback on conference issues affecting student-athlete welfare, assist in educating student athletes about CCC/NAIA issues on their home campus, increase and improve student-athletes’ understanding of the CCC and NAIA Legislative process, promote student-athlete participation in department wide Champions of Character programs and provide a forum for addressing student-athlete concerns.
The CCC office caught up with Jessica Garner who is one of the committee representatives from Northwest Christian and participates in softball.
Student Athlete: Jessica Garner, NCU
Sport(s)- Softball
Major/Minor- Accounting, Business minor
Year in School- Sophomore
GPA- 3.87
Hometown- Springfield, OR
High School Attended- Thurston High School
Parent’s Names- Jim & Laurie
Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC)- How did you choose NCU to continue your athletic and academic career?
Jessica Garner (JG)- I chose to attend NCU because I really liked the community atmosphere on campus. I also liked that I could attend a small school in a bigger city while being able to stay at home. Being given the opportunity to also play softball was a huge bonus for me. I was very excited to get to play for such an awesome coaching staff and a group of girls that treated each other like family for the next four years of my life.
CCC- What are some of the demands of being a student athlete?
JG- The most demanding part is keeping up with your academics. Sometimes your daily schedule gets taken over by practices and outside of practice work that needs to be done, but you have to make sure that you still have enough time to dedicate to studying and working on homework. The second most demanding aspect is making sure that you wake up in time for 5 AM practice.
CCC- What are some of your best experiences so far, both academically and athletically at college?
JG- Having the opportunity to play against Oregon softball- one of the greatest softball teams in the country- every fall is absolutely amazing. As far as academics go, I haven’t done anything notably exciting yet since I am only a sophomore. If I had to pick one thing I would say that it is was getting a 4.0 in my second semester of college.
CCC- Who are some influential people in your life at NCU?
JG- My softball coaches definitely are the most influential people in my life at this point in time. Not only are they helping myself and my team become great athletes, but they are also teaching us valuable life lessons along the way. Some of the greatest lessons I have ever learned come from them since they have so much life experience and they always have advice on how to get through situations.
CCC- When not competing or studying what do you do for fun?
JG- Outside of school and softball I like to play in a women’s volleyball league and occasionally golf with my younger brother. I will also get out my clarinet every now and then and play duets with family members.
CCC- What do you hope to accomplish as a member of the CCC-SAAC?
JG- As a member of the CCC SAAC I hope to be able to accurately represent my school in the making of decisions and providing feedback regarding certain issues in our school and our conference. I also hope to be able to contribute some good ideas on how we can improve and fix the issues we come across.
CCC- What do you see yourself doing after graduation?
JG- After graduation I will take the CPA exam and will hopefully begin working in either a public accounting firm or working internationally for a private company.