The following is a spotlight profile on Jada Harris, the University of Massachusetts' nominee for the prestigous NCAA Woman of the Year award. The Atlantic 10 had 15 institutional nominees for the award (READ MORE). Each weekday until July 22, the Atlantic 10 will profile one of the institutional nominees.
 

SNAPSHOT Sport: Track & Field Major: Social Thought and Political Economics / Communications Hometown: Bridgeport, Conn. UMASS BIO

PROFILE
 
Jada Harris qualified and competed in the NCAA Track & Field Championships in the high jump after earning the top mark at the Atlantic 10 Championships all while interning in Washington D.C. with Massachusetts Congresswoman Katherine M. Clark. Harris was named 2019-20 Most Outstanding Field Performer at the 2020 A-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship after winning three medals for the Minutewomen and was named UMass’ Female Student Athlete of the Year. In addition to her countless athletic achievements, she was named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team, earned Dean’s list honors, and earned a spot in the 4.0 Athletic Director’s Club. Harris was also a social justice peer educator on campus, founded Minority Student Athletes United (MSAU), and helped the UMass athletic department obtain a Women for UMass Amherst Fund award.
 

---

Q&A WITH JADA
 
What would you consider the top moment of your college career?
 
The top moment of my collegiate career was when I qualified for the NCAA East preliminary rounds in both the hurdles and high jump. I had suffered an injury the year preceding and throughout the season I was always close but not quite there. In that moment I felt the culmination of all my mental and physical training show itself and it was very rewarding. 
 
What was the hardest obstacle you faced as a student-athlete? 
 
The hardest obstacle I’ve faced as a student athlete was training for the NCAA championship while working full-time on Capitol Hill in Congresswoman Katherine M. Clark’s office. My internship was located in Washington, D.C., and I was unable to train directly with my coach. This was especially challenging as I was training for an immensely technical event, high jump. I had to find creative places to train because I did not have immediate access to a track. Working out before or after work on Capitol Hill or around my neighborhood, without the direct supervision of my coach was immeasurably difficult, yet I placed 21^st, earning Honorable Mention All-American.   
 
If someone wrote a biography about you, what would the title be?
 
If someone had to write a biography about me, the title would be… “No Test, No Testimony.” Throughout my life and collegiate career, I have been tested in many ways. However, those trials and tribulations have molded me into the person I am today. I have learned the most valuable lessons through failure and hardships, making each “testimony” that much more fulfilling.

 
What hard goals have you set and/or accomplished? 
 
I have set hard goals to obtain a 4.0 GPA, establish a group on campus prioritizing the needs of student-athletes of color, acquire internship experience in fields that align with my professional goals, be a top competitor in the conference and in the nation, get into graduate school and more. I am delighted to say I have accomplished all the goals listed above.
 
What was your favorite class/professor and why?
 
“The People’s History of the War on Drugs,” taught by Toussaint Losier, was my favorite class and has further developed my interest in the prison industrial complex. This course examined the “War on Drugs” and elaborated on military, institutional, legal and policy frameworks from a bottom-up perspective. Through literature and lived realities, I learned that black and brown bodies are caught up in a revolving door of poverty, trauma and societal exile due to structural and policy barriers, further revealing a system in dire need of intervention. I want to be a part of that transitional justice through law and policy.
 
What is something you wish more people knew about you? 
 
Something I wish more people knew about me is that my success in track and academics is attributed to placing a heavier focus on my mental health, assessing my needs and learning more about myself as a person and athlete.
 
What are the top three things on your bucket list?

• Write a book
• Visit at least three out of the seven Wonders of the World
• Act in a movie