Jada Overby '17 Recruiting Profile

I would like to study Biology, then take a nursing course, and finally specialize in anesthesiology. Being able to play the sport I love while receiving a college education is my dream.  Neither of my parents completed college as my Mother had me at a young age. My parents separated when I was still an infant.  I lived most of my life with my grandparents  who became my legal guardians when I was in 7th grade.  I started playing later than most girls because my mother couldn't afford to pay for me to play so my grandfather signed me up with a rec league. I knew I was further behind the other girls because I had missed out on the essential years when we were supposed to be learning the basics, but my grandfather spent all of his free time working with me on the fundamentals of the game.  At the age of 12 my grandfather co-founded a travel ball organization with a friend of his and brought me on the team. He sat me down before the first practice and explained to me that I was still behind most of the girls and that I probably wouldn't play much for the first couple of years and I accepted that, but I worked hard to improve. My second year with that team I had started to blossom and was a must-have in the line-up. We won the ASA 12u Western National Championships that year. My grandfather helped me become the player I am today because he worked with me to not only understand and play the game but also the importance of hard work on and off the field. My grandparents are the main reason I am the person I am today.