Jessica Golibart '07
Social Work and Psychology
Olney, MD

UMBC: How did you choose UMBC?

JG: I play soccer and I was looking around for schools that had good teams. It came down to the fact that I liked the players on UMBC's team. Our coach is also very charismatic. I just fell in love with the team and the school. I liked that UMBC had my major. It's also close enough to home that my parents could come up and watch my games, but I'm still away at college.

UMBC: What attracted you to UMBC's athletic program?

JG: I didn't know coming in the extent to which academics is put first at this school, which is a good thing. On my recruiting trip I was here for a game and I got to be in the locker room for the pre-game, and the coach's pre-game speech got me so fired up that I wanted to go play right then! I was bummed out I had to wait another year. It just didn't compare to any of the other schools I looked at.

UMBC: What has your experience on the team and as a captain been like?

JG: It's been really awesome! As far as our record, that's been up and down. We've had two decent years and two not-so-decent, but as far as the girls and the friendships I've made, it's just been incredible. You find people who really related to what you've been through growing up because they've been through the same thing. Like in high school, that was basically just school and then we all played soccer on the weekends. Here, they all understand that. If the team wasn't all hysterical and good-hearted, it could have been terrible, but it was a lot of fun.

UMBC: Explain what LeaderShape is and your involvement with that.

JG: LeaderShape is a weeklong retreat by a national organization. The Office of Student Life runs it through SGA [the Student Government Association], and they take a bunch of student leaders and go to a retreat in the Maryland mountains over winter break. The point is to build leaders with integrity. We came up with goals for life and went through steps to make it tangible, and then there were other leadership activities and talks. That's how I got involved in a bunch of other things that weren't soccer-related. I met half the SGA and became great friends with them. Right after we got back the whole group set up a Super Bowl party through the SGA and had a whole bunch of people at the Retriever Grill in the Commons. It was neat to see how events happen on campus. I also met women from WILL ‚ Women in Leadership and Learning. They're one of the feminist activist groups on campus and I got involved with them, too. It was a group of people who were already involved in so many things, it was inspiring.

UMBC: What would you say to an incoming student about what it is like to be a student-athlete at UMBC?

JG: You're going to have to work harder than athletes at other schools because academics is the number one priority at UMBC. But if you make sure you like your team you'll have a lot of fun. It doesn't matter at the end of four years how many championships you've won if you've made friendships for life, and that's definitely what athletes at UMBC do.

UMBC: What would you want to tell people about the strength of the soccer program?

JG: It is definitely in the individual athletes because they have a lot of character. At other schools, they're kind of hand fed. Here, I feel like they have worked harder. They may not get the athletic success that other schools get, but they prosper academically and with bonding off the field. As far as coaching goes, recruiting here helps bring in some many great people.

UMBC: What are your goals for the future and how do you think UMBC will help you achieve your goals?

JG: I want to join the Peace Corps, that's my first goal getting out of college. I want to travel and see what else is out there and this would be a great way. When I come back I might like to do the Shriver Center's program for returning Peace Corps volunteers, to get a master's degree and work on other service programs.

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