Have you met Jessica Kalous? If you’ve attended a UWM volleyball game in last the few years then you have probably seen her killing it on the court.
Kalous is one fierce and driven Panther. Not only is she in her final year of her undergrad for an Educational Studies major and Kinesiology minor, this Division 1 athlete works her tail off to bring home a Panther win every time she steps on the court. The soon-to-be alumna chose to spend her college career as a D1 athlete at UWM because of the positive atmosphere that UWM volleyball team creates. “I was drawn to the winning attitude from the program and the coaches,” Kalous said. “Everyone immediately felt like my family.”
Kalous’ passion for volleyball lead her to make the decision to choose UWM as her home, but she also admired the small campus environment and the tools UWM provides to make sure students can succeed in everything.
“My athlete academic advisor has been the biggest source of inspiration since I’ve been at UWM,” Kalous said. “He meets with me weekly during the school year and he always keeps me focused and pushes me to do my best on the court as well as excelling in the classroom.”
Although Kalous will make her grand exit off the UWM campus soon, she looks back on her Division 1 volleyball career with no regrets. She has loved playing for her coaches, her team and representing UWM through her sport.
“It has had its ups and downs but I have loved every minute of it,” Kalous said. “Two of my most memorable experiences on the court came from my freshman year. That year we took second in the conference and during the season we took the Minnesota Gophers to five games and almost won the series.”
During her four years representing the black and gold Panther pride, Kalous has gained a lot of experience on and off the court. Although not every experience has been easy, she promises to incoming D1 Panther athletes that it has all been worth it.
“It can be challenging sometimes, but you have so much help that you should never be worried about not being successful,” Kalous said. “Plus, you get to play the sport you love and go to college on a scholarship. Because of that, my volleyball and student career at UWM has been a win-win!”
When Kalous isn’t on the court adding points to the UWM scoreboard, she’s either reading, spending time with the family, binge watching her favorite Netflix shows or counting down the days until graduation.
“I am looking forward to starting my life path,” Kalous said. “I still need to go school for my physical education degree. Once all of that is complete, I can’t wait to start teaching and become a volleyball coach.”
Everyone at Her Campus UWM wishes Kalous the very best post-graduation and we can’t wait to follow the rest of her senior season. You can catch Kalous in action with the rest of the UWM Panther volleyball team at the Klotsche Center. For a calendar of their complete 2017 season click HERE.