Senior Spotlight: Jess Berger, Penn State Scranton
Welcome to our Senior Spotlight series. In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, the PSUAC had to cancel its fall and winter sport seasons. This prevented several student-athletes from receiving a proper senior day and minimized opportunities for Player of the Week awards. In its place, we will highlight seniors from around the conference throughout the remainder of the semester.
See more Senior Spotlight highlights on our Twitter (@psuac) and Instagram (psuac)!
Name: Jessica Berger
Campus: Scranton
Primary Sport: Volleyball & Basketball
Primary Position(s): Outside Hitter/Forward
Hometown: Lake Ariel, PA
High School: Western Wayne
Major: Nursing, BSN
Academic Achievements: Dean's List. PSUAC Volleyball Academic All-Conference Award 2017, 2018 & 2019. PSUAC Basketball Academic All-Conference Award 2017, 2018 & 2019. The Kelly Sledzinski Academic-Athletic Award 2018. The Eugene C. (Jake) Mullen Memorial Scholarship 2017. The Harry Dickstein Memorial Scholarship 2017. The Grace Keen Memorial Scholarship 2018, 2019 & 2020. Q9. Athletic Achievements (PSUAC All-Conference, USCAA All-American, Players of the Week, etc.; please include years i.e. 2017 PSUAC First Team All-Conference) 2017 Volleyball - John Fritz Sportsmanship Award. 2018-2019 Volleyball - PSUAC East First Team All-Conference Award. 2019-2020 Volleyball PSUAC Honorable Mention All-Conference Award. 2018 Basketball PSUAC Honorable Mention All-Conference Team Award. 2018-2019 Basketball - John Fritz Sportsmanship Award, Player of the Week Recipient on February 11th 2019 and January 21st 2020.
How did your Penn State education prepare you for life after graduation? My Penn State education prepared my for life after graduation by providing me with the skills I will need in order to excel in my profession as a nurse and give the best care to my future patients.
How do you hope to be remembered by teammates and coaches? I hope to be remembered by my teammates and coaches as a hardworking, dedicated leader who always gave 110%.
What is your favorite memory from playing your sport at Penn State? In all honesty, I cannot choose one specific memory. All throughout high school I wasn't sure if I was going to have the opportunity to continue playing sports competitively in college. So just being able to continue my athletic career and end up not only having a big role in each of the sports I played but also becoming a captain of both teams is something I will always cherish.
What is the best advice you ever received from a coach or teammate that you would share with other student-athletes? The best advice I ever received from a coach was not be afraid to be a leader. I didn't realize how many of my teammates looked up to me as a player and were watching me for guidance. Once my coach pointed it out to me, he molded me into the leader I didn't know I could be.
What are you most looking forward to post graduation? Or in your transition to University Park (or other campus) to finish your degree? On a serious note, I am absolutely looking forward to getting a full-time job working as a nurse in Pediatrics. But I am also definitely looking forward to the relief from school stress and never having to take another exam!
What are some of the tools or skills that you learned through all the years of playing your sport that you plan to instill once you enter the workforce? Being a student and an athlete is not something everyone can handle. Prioritizing, time management and dedication are some of the skills I have improved on throughout my years of playing sports that I plan to instill in the workforce. As a future nurse, prioritizing and time management are two of the biggest skills to try and perfect. Knowing which patient you need to check on first and getting medications to all your patients on time are crucial in the nursing field. Dedication means being committed to something wholeheartedly. Not missing practices or games because I felt "too tired" or "had too much to do" showed my coaches and teammates that they could rely on me. I want my coworkers and patients to also see that I am reliable and devoted to providing them with the best care possible.
What impact did athletics have on your experience as a college student? What is your favorite memory outside of athletics during your time as a student-athlete? Being involved in athletics taught me how to time manage so I could keep up with my school-work as well as make it to practices and games. My favorite memory outside of athletics during my time as a student-athlete was being presented with The Grace Keen Memorial Scholarship for three years in a row. I am honored to have been one of the recipients.
Please use this space to thank anyone you wish to acknowledge for their support during your academic and athletic career. To start off, I want to thank God for giving me the strength, wisdom and capability to be an athlete. Secondly, I want to thank my wonderful parents for their unconditional love and support in everything that I do and going out of their way to make sure I succeed. My sister has been my biggest cheerleader and I am so thankful to know I'll always have her in my corner. My grandparents came and supported me at almost every single home game rain or shine which always meant the world to me. I want to thank Robert Kocher, Mollie Demkosky, Tom Mclntyre and Mike McGoff for pushing me out of my comfort zones and challenging me to be the best version of myself athletically. Every time I said I couldn't, they told me I could and I would until I finally believed it. I am beyond thankful for their mentorship, guidance and friendship. I also want to thank my past and current teammates for their friendship and accountability. Lastly, I want to thank the athletics staff for all their hard work to make sports possible!