NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State volleyball star Jaelyn Keene recently announced that she is planning to continue her academic and athletic career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham as a graduate transfer.
Keene, who graduated with her bachelor's degree in accounting in May, has exhausted her indoor volleyball eligibility and is using her fifth and final year to play a sport not sponsored by Illinois State – beach volleyball.
We sat down with Keene to discuss the importance of her graduating from Illinois State and the decision to continue her education while developing her playing skills.
Q&A Session w/ Jaelyn Keene:
Q: Why was it important for you to graduate from Illinois State?
JK: It was very important to me to graduate from Illinois State because this is the institution that gave me so much in my career as a student-athlete. I wanted to get my bachelor's degree from a university that impacted my life in the way ISU did.
Q: What made you choose to major in accounting?
JK: Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was going to major in when I got to ISU; I was undecided. During my freshman year I was looking at what majors where interesting to me and I saw accounting which made me remember that I took that class in high school and really enjoyed it. So I took a chance and applied for the accounting program and the rest is history. It ended up being the perfect fit for me and the professors in the College of Business are very willing to work around busy schedules like mine was because of being a student-athlete. The College of Business at ISU is one of only 182 schools worldwide to have achieved accreditation by AACSB International. This really drew me to the department and major.
Q: How did you manage maintaining an impressive grade point average while staying on top of your game?
JK: Academics have always been a priority of mine. This is because of expectations that have been set by my parents, coaches and personal goals as well. I have always been a huge fan of planning out my weeks on Sunday nights before the week started so that way I knew what I needed to do for of that week. This helped me stay on top of my academic work, especially when we were traveling. Also, as I already mentioned, the professors that I worked with were very open to changes I might have to make due to the athletic schedule. Being organized was the priority when it came to the academic work.
Q: What made you decide to continue your education and pursue a master's degree?
JK: I decided to continue my education and get my master's in accounting because I want to sit for the CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exam in the future. The exam requires 150 credit hours, so after I complete my master's degree, I will be eligible to take the exam.
Q: How did Illinois State give you an opportunity to continue your volleyball career on the beach?
JK: At my end of the year meeting my head coach, Leah Johnson, and I were discussing what my plans were after I graduate here at ISU. She knew that I wanted to continue playing after my career here at Illinois State ended. We then discussed the option of getting my master's degree and playing beach volleyball and this is when I knew it was what I wanted to do.
Q: How did Redbird volleyball help you grow into a successful player?
JK: All of my coaches at ISU have helped develop all of my skills and have helped me grow into the person and player I have become. Different skill sets of mine were stronger than others and the coaches always worked with me to hone in on the skills I needed improvement on. I have improved immensely on certain aspects of my game, but of course I am not perfect and can always improve in all areas of the game.Â
Q: What is your favorite memory in a Redbird uniform?
JK: My favorite memory as a Redbird was my freshman year. This was the year that we went 18-0 in conference and won the conference tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. This was such a great experience and we made it to the second round of the tournament after a thrilling game against Marquette. In the Marquette match, we were down 0-2 in the match and came back to win the next three sets to move on to play Wisconsin. Playing Wisconsin on their home court will be a memory I have for the rest of my life. All of the red in there, we would just say they are all here to watch and cheer us on, when we knew they weren't.
Q: You were presented with the Laurie Mabry Award – an honor given to a female student-athlete who exemplifies the positive values and attitudes that can be learned through athletics and is a person who appreciates the opportunity she has received through participation in the athletic program. What does this honor mean to you as you depart from Illinois State?
JK: Receiving the Laurie Mabry Award is one of the most prestigious awards I have received. It is an award that I was not aware I was even up for but it was a great surprise when they called my name. I am very honored to have been the recipient of the award this year. I know that there are many great female student-athletes at ISU and I was lucky enough to be successful in athletics and academics due to all of the faculty, coaches and players that have impacted my career here at Illinois State.
Q: What is your most proud accomplishment as a Redbird?
JK: My most proud accomplishment as a Redbird has to be a tie between being the Laurie Mabry award winner and being considered for the Senior CLASS Award. For the Senior CLASS Award, I was selected as a Second-Team All-American after being one of just 10 NCAA Division I volleyball student-athletes to be selected as a finalist. This is one of the best awards I have received. Those two awards sum up my career at ISU very well. They represent me as a STUDENT-ATHLETE.
Q: How do you envision the future of the Redbird volleyball program?
JK: The future for the Redbird volleyball program is very bright. I am excited to come back and support these girls as an alumna because I know we have gone through some of the same ups and downs. The coaching staff is doing a great job of recruiting female athletes that focus on their academics as well. I am confident that the Redbird program will be a powerhouse in the Missouri Valley Conference in the years to come.
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