Jessye Large smiled as she stood on the soccer pitch moments before the ‘Packs last home game of the season. It was a chilly October night, but Large didn’t appear to mind. For some on the team, including Large, it wasn’t just the last home game of the season but also the last home game as WolfPack players.
At the game, it was announced that Large, defender Raiya Rumo, goalkeeper Cassandra De Amaral, and team captain Ainsley Grether would embark on new adventures outside TRU as they graduate this year.
In anticipation of her departure, the Omega’s sports editor, Aibiike Alymova, talked with Large about her experiences as a student, an athlete and as co-founder of the Hygiene for Homeless club.
Omega: How has your journey been as a student-athlete for the TRU WolfPack soccer team?
JL: It has been the best experience it could be. I’m happy I did it and went through both aspects of my schooling, like athletics and academics. It was a lot of fun and I think it was very useful for other skills in my life as well.
Omega: What are the most significant lessons soccer has taught you, both on and off the field?
JL: Probably, flexibility and time management. I’d say I had to do a lot of that, especially because I’m in nursing and was doing soccer and I was extremely busy. I loved both things, so I developed very good time management skills and was able to make both of them work and balance them perfectly.
Omega: Can you share a memorable moment or game that stands out during your time with the WolfPack?
JL: We played UVIC in 2022 and then we went to a shootout. We won and everyone came crashing onto the field. It was the first time that TRU women’s soccer had beaten the University of Victoria and also gone to the final four.
Omega: Why did you choose nursing as your field of study, and what inspires you in this career path?
JL: I knew I wanted to do something like that to help people. I was very interested in a medical kind of job and nursing just seemed to fit all of those things.
Omega: What are your plans after graduation, and how do you envision integrating your passion for health and sports into your career?
JL: I might do some soccer for fun, like a women’s league or there are Rivers FC here in town, like a semi-professional league, if I have that kind of time. I’m planning on working as an emergency nurse in a hospital, but the actual location is to be determined.
Omega: Could you tell us about the Hygiene for Homeless Club and its mission?
JL: Hygiene for Homeless is a TRUSU club. It was founded last year by a couple of friends of mine, Denzel and Olivia. They kind of made the mission to collect products for the unhoused population and Kamloops specifically for hygienic purposes. Also, we’ve expanded it slightly. It’s still definitely a smaller club and less active, as in participation from club members, but we kind of expanded it and tried to do some more things, like the warm clothes drive. We basically just want to make some lives easier and help that population with some really needed products that they’re very short on.
Omega: What made you accept the position of a club leader?
JL: I’m quite interested in outreach and substance use nursing, which can often be directly related to people who are living without living on the street. Then when Denzel and Olivia asked me, it seemed like a great or great opportunity to be involved and was easy to fit into my kind of busy schedule and still made an impact.
Omega: How has being involved in these various roles shaped your identity and personal growth?JL: It definitely has shaped me. I feel like it prepared me very well for life in general. Just being able to enjoy all the little things and being a part of a team. Even the clubs, kind of a team, my nursing cohorts, kind of a team, and then obviously my soccer team. Being a part of that is just, it’s been amazing and lifelong friends that I’m making along the way. I feel like it’s not only like giving me lots of life lessons but it also has just been a lot of fun and will be very memorable as I move on.