Coming off the bench as a freshman is never easy, but Jackie Walker has proven, as with many of her experiences at the University of Rochester, that she can learn and adapt. Her sophomore year, the wing player started nine games and played in all 25, and her junior year she saw her most productive year to date, mostly coming off the bench and shooting 41% from the floor.

“Having a short term memory has been a difficult skill to develop and by no means have I developed this skill fully,” Walker says. “Each year I've become better at playing each possession and forgetting the previous – not letting a mistake from a previous play holds me back in the next play. It's been a challenge but each year it becomes a bit better.”

That perseverance and progression has led to tremendous success off the court as well. It is also one reason why Walker is receiving the Lysle “Spike” Garnish award this year for excellence both in the realm of athletics and the classroom.

An Ann Arbor, Mich., native, Walker knew that she wanted to find a university that would allow her to do research and explore the sciences.

 “I wanted to go to a smaller undergraduate school that had an excellent science program,” Walker explains. “I knew in high school I wanted to pursue a degree related to biology. In addition to that, I also wanted to play collegiate basketball at a high level. UR gave me the opportunity to do both!”

That balance has been beneficial for the biochemistry major's success. On the court, Walker challenges herself physically and hones her mental focus – a focus that has been critical for her studies. More than that, Walker has proven herself a quick learner. She started playing basketball competitively, for example, her freshman year of high school, and a time when most players had been involved in leagues or school teams for three or more years. Walker picked it up quick.

“I had always enjoyed playing and shooting around with my brother and dad in the backyard before then,” she says, explaining how after her freshman year, her coach encouraged her to join a club team. “In high school, I realized I was a decent player and could potentially play in college.”

Playing basketball while taking on a full load of courses, including labs and Teaching Assistant positions, wasn't easy. Here, Walker has also had to learn quickly in order to be successful.

“Time management was a skill I had to learn to master,” she explains. “It's difficult rushing between classes, scheduling meetings, holding office hours, going to practice, and studying. It's a lot to get done on a daily basis and can easily become overwhelming without proper time managing. The stress level it causes rises quite quickly too.”

Still, Walker appears to handle the pressure of it all well. And the myriad of experiences and rigor of her classes is paying off in helping her determine what her plans will be after she graduates in May.

This past summer, she did research for a University professor who taught on the graduate classes she took last year. “I've been working on sensitivities to metabolic derangements of colon cancer cells,” she says. “It's been a great experience getting to dabble in the realm of research. I'm continuing my research into this fall semester.”

Her interest in exploring different things is also reflected in the classes she's taken while at UR – while she really enjoyed her biochemistry class that talked about metabolism and sparked her interest in the broader topic, her favorite classes were sign language classes she took. “It was a complete 180 degrees from any of my other classes, which was a breath of fresh air.”

Following this year, Walker certainly has high aspirations. In mid August, Walker took her MCATs and hopes to apply for medical school within the next couple years.

In the mean time, though, more adventure abounds for the senior. Walker hopes to spend a gap year either working as an EMT or working and travelling abroad – a new experience that Walker will undoubtedly take full advantage of.