Senior Sign-off: Jessica Hall

By Jessica Hall

These last four years at UCLA have taught me more about myself and the world around me than I would have learned otherwise. It has been one crazy journey with many life lessons along the way. The opportunities that were provided to me at UCLA were endless.

Playing on the UCLA softball team, while being a full-time student, was the biggest lesson of them all. Just when you thought balancing a full schedule of classes at one of the most prestigious schools was enough, I was also a part of one of the most successful NCAA softball teams of all time.

There are many great mentors that come to mind when I think about the success of UCLA, which all had a direct effect on my personal success. One being the famous John Wooden and his Pyramid of Success, which we were taught my first week here and have embodied his lessons of hard work, friendship and determination all the way through my last season.

Another was Sue Enquist, a former UCLA softball player and coach, who showed us what it means to not only represent the four letters but also how to leave a worthy legacy behind as more than just a great athlete, but an amazing person.

Although I’ve had the opportunity to play with some of the best athletes in college softball, our teams have fallen short every year I’ve been here during postseason. What I’ve learned to take away from these heartbreaking losses is that in the end it is just a game, and what you do on the field does not define you as a person; rather, the way you react to failure and toward others is what you will be remembered for.

After my first couple years of experiencing what college had to offer in terms of the dorm life, student events, parties, etc., I had finally found a club that fit who I was and what I wanted to be remembered for. That club was UCLA Athletes in Action, a student-athlete Christian youth group.

Through this club I met so many awesome athletes who were dealing with the same crazy schedules, exhausting practices and, ups and downs of school and sport that I was. The one thing I found within this group that we all shared in common was our love for Jesus. Meeting these people and growing in my faith was a turning point in my UCLA journey. No longer was I going to be defined by my sport or my grades or even past reputations.

Instead I will leave UCLA knowing, and being known by, the things which really matter: that I am a Bruin, I am blessed and above all else I am a child of God.

Jessica Hall is a senior pitcher for the UCLA softball team.