Diverse player succeeds on the field, in the classroom

A diverse utility player from the softball team is one of the 55 Citrus College student athletes to be named to the 2009-10 Scholar-Baller program.

With many hours devoted to intense practices, and pressure to be the best throughout the season, players could easily let their grades slip.

But that is not the case for 19-year-old Jacqueline Ramirez, a criminal justice major.

Teammate Hannah Carter describes Ramirez, saying, "She has this swagger about her that makes you want to be a better softball player. She's a natural leader."

With a lot riding on her shoulders, she currently has a 3.2 G.P.A. and is prepared to keep up the hard work to get what she wants.

"I hope to be picked up by a school and continue to become a sheriff, and no matter what happens with softball I know I'll have my grades to back me up," Ramirez said.

This motivated mind-set and discipline is nothing new for Ramirez.
In high school, she maintained solid grades while making a name for herself on the field.

She attended Diamond Ranch High School and earned All-Miramonte League honors in her junior and senior year.

"My parents have always pushed me when it came to my grades, even in high school," Ramirez said. "They have always made it clear that grades are what is most important."

Finding the balance between the sport you love and the time need to be put into studies is no easy task.

However, Ramirez is proof that it is possible to set goals and achieve them.

She is also a dependable player on the field.

"Jackie is the girl on our team that brings the hype.  She gets fired up and her intensity keeps the rest of her team in it," softball head coach Jackie Boxley said. "She wants to be in the clutch situations and wants to be the person her teammates turn to when they need the clutch hit or big play."

Ramirez not only raises the bar on the field but also in the classroom.

"As a student athlete, Jackie is the girl we use as the perfect example. Obviously she has shown what a great student she is by her spot on the Scholar-Baller team," Boxley said. "She is always organized and ahead of her academics.  I know she spends sleepless nights working on papers and preparing for exams and assignments.   She takes great pride in her academics and her well above average grades, and I am happy she is a part of our softball family."

In terms of her bright future, continuation of coming through in the clutch for her team and keeping up an exceptional work ethic in the classrooms means the sky is the limit for Scholar-Baller Jacqueline Ramirez.