Admissions | Undergraduate Admissions | Transfer Newsletter | For the Love of the Game

For the Love of the Game

By: Dot Tobey, Admissions Intern

Athletics have always been a part of Jessica Morrison's life. Since joining the swim team in fourth grade, her life has been full of competition. She joined her high school volleyball team as a junior and went on to play volleyball at Linn Benton Community College, where she was named a member of the 2006 NWAACC All-Academic Team.

After two years of community college, Morrison was ready to take the plunge and transfer to a four-year school. She was looking for a Christian college with a commitment to excellence. What she found was George Fox University.

Upon arriving in August for the beginning of volleyball season, she was greeted by teammates and coaches who encouraged her in her faith. "I can go to anyone on my team and talk to them about any struggles I have," she says.

Morrison has coaches who facilitate prayer times before each game and have become her mentors. Of head coach Steve Grant, Morrison says, "He always has an open-door policy in his office. You can go and talk to him about anything." When she became suddenly ill this fall, she contacted Grant, who ran across campus to get her help. She credits Grant with being influential in decisions she's made about life. "He's helped me take a step back and look at what I really want," she says.

Morrison enjoyed volleyball so much she decided to also join the university's track team, where she received similar support in her faith from her fellow track teammates and coaches. "We have prayer meeting before practices," she says, "and we can ask the team to pray for anything."

George Fox University, an NCAA Division III school, is not permitted to offer scholarship to athletes. But that did not deter Morrison's decision to transfer. Athletes at George Fox play "for the love of the sport," she says. "They are people who really love what they're doing."

She credits her involvement in athletics at George Fox as a contributing factor to her successful acclimation to campus life. "It's helped me to meet more people in a shorter amount of time," Morrison says. Through her teammates, she has formed a network of friends on campus.

Morison appreciates the opportunities George Fox University has given her. She's excited about programs such as Juniors Abroad and Serve Trips. Juniors Abroad affords students the opportunity to travel overseas for three weeks for class credit, while Serve Trips allow students to serve locally and internationally on one- to three-week trips during Christmas break, Spring break, and the month of May.

Morrison also was glad to find "a wide variety of people from many different backgrounds" at George Fox. "There are people coming from all different sides of the spectrum," she says.

To fellow transfer students, Morrison offers this advice: "Be open-minded coming into it and embrace opportunities to meet people. Participate in all the activities you can - you'll enjoy the experience more."