Classroom:In her now three years at ASU after transferring from Kansas softball's Jackie Vasquez has compiled a 3.51 GPA while majoring in Special Education. A student in the College of Education, Jackie has found a way to balance both her love for softball and her academics, with immense success in both. In Novemeber she was been named CSAC Student-Athlete of the month, the second consecutive Student-Athlete of the Month Award given to the softball team.
The award isn't the first for Vasquez as she was the recipient of the Rosalyn Lyon Scholarship in Education, a fund established by Rusty and Rosie Lyon to help support College of Education students from Arizona. In addition, Jackie also received the Roma Gentry Memorial Scholarship, a fund set up in memoriam of Roma Gentry, a 1937 College of Education graduate. The award attempts to encourage, promote and benefit the education of women and U.S. citizens at Arizona State University.
Character:Whether it be a joke or words of support, Jackie finds a way to lead and give her teammates and those she works with comfortable and happy within any setting. Whether it be an intense at-bat or just coaching in the Special Olympics Jackie is always the first one with a smile and a high-five or hug to show her support in any endeavor. One of the "class clowns" of the team, Jackie has no fear in trying out her vocals on the team bus microphone during rain delays with personal favorites of "La Bamba" and country music being the usual selections.
Competition:With her success on and off the field, Jackie has proven that she is a great role model for her teammates, coaches and students, both as peers and the ones in her own classroom as a student teacher. A personal sports highlight for Vasquez was hitting a grand slam in the 2007 Tempe Super Regionals against LSU, which helped send her team to their second consecutive World Series. She also hit her first home run of her career earlier in the 2007 NCAA Regionals with a long ball against BYU in Provo, Utah., all while usually occupying the position of slapper, most likely in the lead-off or in the No. 2 spot.