More Than An Athlete: Jessica Ponce

Montana's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) has adopted 'More Than An Athlete' as its slogan, hoping to showcase that each of them have interests, passions and pursuits beyond their field of play. Regularly throughout the summer, Griz student-athletes will share personal, first-hand letters about who they are and what the slogan means to them.

To read more about the initiative, click here. For an archive of previous first-hand stories, click here.

Jessica Ponce, Golf

Jessica Ponce recently concluded her career as a golf student-athlete at Montana. She earned her degree in psychology, with a minor in international development. But she is More Than An Athlete, as described below, in her own words:

Family and community is very important to me, and finding this at UM has been a crucial part of my college experience. While I am forever grateful for my golf family, I'm glad I was able to find a family and community outside of the team through campus involvement.

During my time at UM, I was an executive member and social media coordinator for the UM Pacific Islanders Club, a Student Ambassador for the College of Humanities and Sciences, a member of the Athletics Diversity & Inclusion Committee, and a student coordinator for the Office of Inclusive Excellence for Student Success. With all these positions, I have been able to meet people who have elevated my experience as a student-athlete and taught me so much about life.

Especially being a minority in a predominately white institution and state, it can be isolating to not be around people that look like you or have a similar culture. With this family, however, I was able to not feel alone.

As student-athletes it can be difficult to stray away from an environment that we spend nearly every waking moment thinking about, but I always encourage taking a chance and getting involved in things outside of our sports. In the different spaces I've had the privilege of being a leader, it has shown me how much of life there is to experience outside of my sport. I've gotten to find my interests and passions that weren't just golf, which has helped me shape my career path and has given me a clearer understanding of what I really want to do.

Above: This was taken on a Pacific Winter Tour that I attend with the UMPIC. We raised money during the Fall 2021 semester in order to travel to the islands during winter break to learn more about the culture and from the people. Since most of the club members are from Hawai'i, we learned from local people and businesses. The photo was taken on our final night on the island as we celebrated on the Vida Mia, an historic cruise ship in Honolulu.

Jessica Ponce_More Than An Athlete

Above Left: This is a photo of me and my boss, Dr. Salena Beaumont Hill. It was Orange Shirt Day, a day that promotes awareness about the Indian residential school system still impacting Native American communities in the United States. We wanted to show our support to our Native brothers and sisters.

Above Right: As executive members of UMPIC, we wanted to make our team photo extravagant, so we all got dressed up to take photos. I'm pictured between my two fellow executive members, who I have spent countless hours planning and coordinating UMPIC events with on campus. They are some of my biggest supporters and my family at UM.

Below: This is just a small portion of the Inclusive Excellence Team. We all work in different areas, but all are connected through the Office of Inclusive Excellence. This was the first day we all met each other, and I'm very thankful to have these individuals as coworkers and friends.

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