Watch the Video
Jess Ramirez isn’t the type to do anything halfway.  

As a senior accounting major carrying a 3.87 GPA while competing as a Division I soccer player at California Baptist, Ramirez has mastered the art of balance, one that demands discipline, sacrifice, and a relentless work ethic. “I take pretty much everything seriously,” Ramirez said. “Being a student-athlete is fun, but it’s a lot. There are practices, meetings, classes, and you have to juggle your personal life, too.” 

For Ramirez, the foundation of success was laid long before college. “My mom and dad have always told me, school’s first, soccer second,” the senior said. That mindset followed Ramirez to campus, where the midfielder learned to prioritize academics without letting a love for soccer fade. “Coming into college, balancing everything was the hardest part,” Ramirez said. “I had to be disciplined and manage my time.” 

Now a senior, Ramirez has turned that discipline into a rhythm, one that allows the midfielder to excel both in the classroom and on the field. “I’m an accounting major,” Ramirez said. “I specifically chose accounting because I wanted to pick something I could use in the future, whether I went into business or not.” After conversations with Ramirez’s mom, the senior realized accounting would provide the financial literacy needed for adulthood and long-term goals. “I always knew I wanted to own my own business in some way,” Ramirez said. “Now I want to make real estate investments and have my own portfolio. I can use the accounting background with that.” 

 

  Finding Footing  
Ramirez’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges.  

“Going into accounting and learning more about it now, I can see why people don’t like it,” the senior said, laughing. “It’s a lot of numbers.” Ramirez’s freshman year was especially tough. “I was going to a college out of state, and it was just a lot to balance coming from high school to college,” Ramirez said. “Taking soccer super seriously as your job while trying to perform in school…I felt it was pretty hard.” 

Time management, Ramirez admits, was a work in progress. “My friends and I were terrible at time management,” the midfielder said. “We’d go into the library at 10 p.m. before the day of the test, stay until 2 a.m., and then take the exam the next day.” Now, Ramirez prepares well in advance. “I definitely plan ahead,” the senior stated. “I have my whiteboard and my calendar, and I literally write every little thing. I like to check things off the list, or else I won’t feel accomplished.” 

That level of organization extends to life on the road. “With travel, I will just make sure I bring my computer,” Ramirez said. “When we’re in the hotel, you have a lot of downtime. You can get things done, but you have to communicate with your professors and let them know when you’re missing class.” 

 

  Growth Through Adversity  
Despite Ramirez’s meticulous planning, life had other lessons in store.  

“I’m most proud of my growth,” Ramirez said. “I tore my ACL my senior year of high school. Going into college, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with soccer.” The injuries kept coming. “I tore my ACL, my MCL, and my meniscus during my senior year,” the midfielder said. “Then I got a really bad high ankle sprain that put me out for a month. At the end of my sophomore year, I tore my meniscus again.” 

Mentally, it was a lot to carry. “I was honestly like, maybe this is a sign,” Ramirez said. “But I just needed to get out of the environment I was in.” After transferring to California Baptist, everything changed. “I’ve grown so much spiritually and personally here,” the senior said. “I’ve learned to love soccer for a different reason.” 

Even then, adversity followed. “In the spring, I tore two outer ligaments in my ankle and was out the entire semester,” Ramirez said. “But I’ve learned that it comes with the sport. I love being around my teammates, and here at CBU, we really preach playing for something bigger than ourselves.” 

That perspective has helped Ramirez redefine an identity beyond soccer. “Soccer is not my identity,” the midfielder said. “I’m way bigger than the sport, and I hope every student-athlete can realize that. Your identity shouldn’t be in your sport—your wins and losses will come and go, but you’re more than that.” 

 

  Looking Ahead  
Ramirez’s future is as focused as the present.  

“I’m hoping to be an accountant, a CPA,” the senior said. “But that’s not my end goal. I want to invest in real estate and have my own portfolio.” Ramirez’s passion for homes goes back to childhood. “As a young girl, I always fell in love with homes, designing, construction, things like that,” Ramirez said. “I want to see my future go back to that, and my accounting major can be very helpful.” 

Ramirez also knows that the lessons learned from soccer will carry the midfielder far. “Being a student-athlete has helped me a lot,” Ramirez said. “You learn how to communicate with your coaches, lead within your team, and deal with different personalities to create a beautiful culture.” 

Those experiences have prepared Ramirez for life beyond the field. “You’re always going to be working with teams,” the senior said. “You’re most likely going to have a boss, just like a coach. You’ll have colleagues to work with and have to communicate with others. It’s taught me that just because things go wrong, you’ve got to keep going.” 

For Jess Ramirez, that perseverance, rooted in faith, discipline, and a genuine love for the game, has become Ramirez’s greatest strength.