Jasmine Kessler was a multisport athlete all the way up to her senior year in high school. She played soccer, basketball, baseball, flag football, volleyball and golf. But of all the sports, soccer was the one that really stuck.
“Soccer not only made me really well rounded, but it was the one I fell in love with,” Kessler said.
Not only is Kessler well-rounded in soccer, but she has a multitude of hobbies and is a stellar student. Her hobbies include songwriting, creative writing, playing piano, reading, painting and finger knitting. Kessler also made the American Athletic Conference honor roll this past week. “I’ve always been naturally gifted at doing school work. I work at such a fast pace that it’s not an issue for me.” When asking her how she manages work, school and a social life she says, “I don’t have time for a social life.” Kessler is busy with school and soccer and it takes up most of her time. When she is not playing soccer or doing school work, she likes to engage in her art related hobbies.
Kessler is a double major in Criminal Justice and Psychology with a minor in Spanish. Kessler says the dream is to play soccer professionally, but she has a career plan already arranged, because she likes to have things figured out well in advance. Her starting plan now is to graduate in four years, and if soccer does pan out, then immediately go into the military and enlist as an officer. After about four to six years of being in the military, the next step is to join the FBI in the sex crimes division.
She got into criminal justice after watching crime shows with her parents. Her high school also offered a program in criminal justice. “I got to take a bunch of different classes and get really immersed in it.” She chose psychology as her second major because her teachers recommended it to her and explained that it would be helpful to have the knowledge of how the mind works when you need to talk to victims, perpetrators or suspects.
This is Kessler’s first year attending and playing soccer at UTSA and she is so appreciative of the welcoming and supportive environment. During the recruitment process, she loved everything about UTSA, from the education standards, the sports programs, the campus and all the athletic facilities. Now that the season has started Kessler says, “It’s everything I’ve dreamed of and more. It’s genuinely one of the best experiences of my life. I love every person on the team, I love the coaching staff, I love the code of conduct and the culture and how everybody just loves the game as much as I do.”
Kessler’s dad was an accomplished athlete in college, just like her. He played football and baseball in a small D3 college in Minnesota. He loved his experience and wanted his daughter to have the same involvement and opportunities. Her dad has been her biggest supporter and biggest influence when it comes to sports. He put her into every sport imaginable, so he could coach her and have her become the talented athlete she is today. “He was extremely proud of me when I committed here. He’s the one who took me on the official visit and we talked through the decision to choose UTSA together.”
In a commentary during a live game, ESPN said that Kessler’s jersey number, which is 00, represented that she gets zero hours of sleep, due to her heavy course load, playing soccer, and all of her outside hobbies and interests. Kessler responds to that comment with “I do get the recommended 8 hours of sleep. I understand how important recovery is just as much as practice.”
Kessler has had a phenomenal season so far. She has only allowed seven goals out of 74 shots, has had 28 saves and is set to be fourth in the single-season record book. Coming up in the season Kessler is looking forward to winning the next two games and going to Florida to play in the conference tournament.
