By their senior year, most students have made a choice about what they want to do with their lives after high school. Some choose to go directly into the workforce. Some choose to go to a technical school. Many more choose to go on to college. Many factors go into selecting a school, one of the factors being athletics. Senior Jenna Zelm has played on South’s soccer team for all of her high school years, and signed with Judson University to play on their soccer team on Wednesday.

“The feeling of signing the papers was unreal. I never imagined I would make it this far with soccer, and it’s such a great feeling to know that all my hard work paid off after all these years of putting in so much time in and out of practice. I was so nervous that I was shaking when I signed, but I was SO excited as well,” explained Zelm. Present at the signing were Zelm’s parents, grandparents, coaches, and a few of her friends. One of Zelm’s friends, Senior Philip DeTrana, stated, “It was an awesome experience, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to be there. I’m very proud of her for all she has accomplished, and I know she will do more great things in college.” Support from friends, family, and coaches is very important in a young athlete’s life, and, as Zelm explained, she received plenty of support here at South, “Playing at South has grown me immensely as a player and I couldn’t be more thankful. Coming in freshman year, I was lucky enough to be pulled up to varsity as the team won conference and regionals that year. Those senior and junior girls were so good, but I learned just by watching and practicing with them. They challenged me to run faster, kick harder, and play my best all the time. As I have grown older, coaches have pushed me, and helped me work on different things to be successful when I play. There are so many people here within the South girls soccer program that have helped me so much, and I am extremely grateful.” As the seniors’ final school year draw to a close, they will continue to make more concrete decisions on their life after South High School. With luck, they will be able to continue to participate in activities that they enjoy, as Zelm will at Judson.