Rice Memories: Jessica Kuster
6/10/2020 2:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Blog
Life as a student-athlete at Rice University - where do I begin?! So much of who I am today is because of the experiences I had while attending Rice as a young adult. I think one of the biggest things I learned from my time at Rice is that regardless of how much pressure I'm under or what can seem to be overwhelming circumstances, I am able to do anything that I put my mind to.
Probably some of my most memorable moments were from the summer before my freshman year when I was late to so many sessions. In high school, we only had one activity a day, so I assumed that at Rice also, once I had done one thing team related, I was finished with basketball for the day.
I was entirely unprepared for the reality that basketball was no longer going to be a hobby but actually something that I had to invest all of my time and energy into. I had given the coaches my word. So the lesson I learned my freshman year was how to be excellent at everything I do regardless of if I feel like it's too hard or too much. Honoring my word was something that became invaluable to me as I had numerous new requirements laid before me.
Being a full time student studying economics while playing Division I basketball often felt overwhelming and I was forced to persevere through stress and adjust to new levels of pressure each year.
The ability to function under pressure is something that has only been refined in my life as a professional basketball player playing in Europe as my livelihood depends on my performance.
I will forever be grateful for my time at Rice for pushing me academically while simultaneously pushing me physically and requiring that in order for me to succeed I had to learn how to push through. I'm endlessly grateful to the support I had around me who remained patient, encouraged my growth and grinded it out with me in order to help me become a better version of myself.
Probably some of my most memorable moments were from the summer before my freshman year when I was late to so many sessions. In high school, we only had one activity a day, so I assumed that at Rice also, once I had done one thing team related, I was finished with basketball for the day.
I was entirely unprepared for the reality that basketball was no longer going to be a hobby but actually something that I had to invest all of my time and energy into. I had given the coaches my word. So the lesson I learned my freshman year was how to be excellent at everything I do regardless of if I feel like it's too hard or too much. Honoring my word was something that became invaluable to me as I had numerous new requirements laid before me.
Being a full time student studying economics while playing Division I basketball often felt overwhelming and I was forced to persevere through stress and adjust to new levels of pressure each year.
The ability to function under pressure is something that has only been refined in my life as a professional basketball player playing in Europe as my livelihood depends on my performance.
I will forever be grateful for my time at Rice for pushing me academically while simultaneously pushing me physically and requiring that in order for me to succeed I had to learn how to push through. I'm endlessly grateful to the support I had around me who remained patient, encouraged my growth and grinded it out with me in order to help me become a better version of myself.
-RiceOwls.com-
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