Jenna Goldsberry

About Me:

I am 23 years old from Fresno, CA. In my younger years, I played a multitude of sports before deciding that I wanted to focus solely on volleyball. During my sophomore year of high school, I was pulled up to varsity halfway through the season and then finished out my last two years of high school as a starter on the varsity team. We won valley championships both in my sophomore and junior years.

After high school, I wanted to continue my volleyball career and decided to play at Fresno City College. During my first year at Fresno City, my team won the conference and went on to the state playoffs. I made the All-Conference Second Team and made it on the honors list (GPA of 3.5 or higher) as well. During my second year at Fresno City, my team won the conference again and we then went on to state playoffs where we got 1st place. This was a first in Fresno City College history. At state championships, I was awarded MVP. I also achieved All-Conference First Team and made it on the honors list. Being able to play in the state championship helped me to be recruited and continue on the journey of being a student-athlete.

Cal Poly Pomona is where I finished out my volleyball career and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I was a starter for the team both years and made it on the dean's list (GPA of 3.5 or higher) both years as well. During my senior year, the team went to NCAA championships where we finished 17th in the country. My biggest achievement at Cal Poly was being awarded Senior Scholar-Athlete of the year which meant I got the highest GPA of all female athletes at the college. Overall, volleyball has positively impacted my life and has led me to become the person I am today.

In high school I remember playing multiple positions on the volleyball court, not knowing if I was good enough to exceed in college at any of them. I was a reliable player for the team, but it seemed like a college team would not be interested enough to recruit me.

After a long internal debate about if I wanted to continue playing after high school, I finally decided at the end of my senior year. The local community college, Fresno City College, offered me a position and I took it. At first, I had a bias toward playing at and attending a community college. What would people think? However, I soon found out that this was just what I needed.

I didn’t know who I was, what I wanted to study, or how much I loved this sport until those two years at Fresno City. The school and volleyball team helped me exceed not only as an athlete but as a student. I grew as an individual and became more confident on the court. As I mentioned before, the team won state my second year and I also received the MVP award at the state tournament. This is an accomplishment that I am thankful to have and share with the team that made the experience so amazing.

Aside from the sport aspect, I also figured out that I wanted to pursue Psychology as a major and was ready to study at a college outside of Fresno. At Cal Poly Pomona I was able to continue my college athletics career and get my degree in Psychology. In the end, I will always hold the experience at Fresno City close to my heart. Remember, sometimes you have to take a chance to find where you belong.