The power of being present with Ally Jackson
Monday, October 31, 2022
Spears & Sports Blog
The Business Blog that keeps you in the game and up to date with everything OSU sports.
As many of us know life can get crazy, hectic and pretty overwhelming at times. Let me be real with you guys and tell you as a full-time college student who works 20+ hours a week and is in numerous extracurriculars, life gets moving fast and sadly sometimes I miss out on moments I wish I could go back and savor. I don’t always notice that I am going 110 mph and I am missing out. Sometimes I need a reminder to be present and enjoy where I am and who I am with. Just recently I was reminded about the power of being present when I sat down for an interview with graduate student and veteran Cowgirl soccer player Ally Jackson.
Ally is an incredible athlete and an even better person. She made her way to Oklahoma State University from the great state of Texas (my home state) after graduating from Allen High School. Allen High School might sound familiar to avid Oklahoma State sports fans as OSU has a knack for getting great talent from Allen High School like twin brothers and standout wide receivers Bryson and Blaine Green.
Ally came to OSU solely to pursue soccer. She got an offer, visited and didn’t look back.
She graduated in December 2021 from Spears Business with degrees in marketing and management after being inspired to pursue degrees in business by her dad.
She was a great student but has also been a phenomenal and instrumental part of the Cowgirl soccer team. Ally originally was a midfielder but recently has taken on the position of the defender and has played a significant role. Last year she started all 18 games and led field players with 1,685 minutes played all while anchoring a defense that posted seven shutouts. Ally was also an Academic All-Big 12 First Team honoree four times.
As most of us know, success like Ally’s doesn’t just come to you. You have to work hard and make sacrifices. In my sit down with Ally, she told me about some of her struggles as a collegiate student-athlete.
“No one can really prepare you to be a college athlete,” Ally said.
She addressed the hardships from freshman year dealing with an injury, fighting for minutes, and socially and academically adjusting to finding time throughout college to be intentional and build relationships.
As I talked with Ally, I noticed her intentionality at balancing life as a student-athlete but also enjoying the life given to us. At the beginning of the blog, I mentioned how busy I was personally. Well because of my experiences I was able to have a lens to appreciate how Ally as a student-athlete values being present. I specifically noticed the power of being present when she talked about her best friend and all-time leading scorer for the Cowgirls, Grace Yochum.
It served as a great reminder to the power of being present. The way Ally talked about their friendship and how they have been there for one another through the ups and downs of sports, school and life for the past five years, speaks volumes of why it is so important to be present. It also served as a reminder for me in my life to slow down and be present where I am and who I am with.
While Ally is a phenomenal athlete, she's an incredible person and I can’t thank her enough for this important reminder of the power of being present. I think being present can apply to all aspects of life whether in business, school, friends, extracurriculars or family. I want all of us to take a moment and remember to be present and not miss out on the moments and lessons life has to offer us. This could be as simple as putting down the phone, listening to someone's story intently, showing up to a game/event or even serving someone when they need it most. Let Ally’s story and her intentionality serve as a reminder to all of us that the power of being present transcends the time allotted to us here on Earth.
Thank you for reading Spears and Sports.
Story By: Dalton Wolf | dalton.wolf10@okstate.edu