Jennifer Ruiz: International professional women’s soccer player and former teacher
Did you know that many talented athletes were also teachers at some point in their lives? This is true of California’s Jennifer Ruiz-Willliams, a professional women’s soccer player who is also a former teacher.
Jennifer was born on August 9, 1983, in Anaheim, California. As a young woman, she attended Corona High School in Corona, Riverside County, California. While playing for Corona, Jennifer was named Most Valuable Player three times. In 1998 and 1999, she played with the Olympic Development Program District and State teams. In 2000, she played with the Southern California Blues U-16 team. That year, the squad garnered a national championship. The following year, Jennifer helped the U-17 squad to a second-place finish at the national championships. For these accomplishments, Jennifer was recognized as the Citrus Belt Athlete of the Year in 2001.
After her high school graduation, Jennifer enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, under the Teach for America program. She attended there from 2001 to 2004, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. After her college graduation, to fulfill her obligation to Teach for America, Jennifer taught at an inner-city school in Los Angeles for two years. She later earned a Master’s degree in Education from Loyola Marymount University.
During the years she was working on her degree, Jennifer continued to play soccer, and her resume in the sport is impressive. She went to the Australia Cup competition in 2003 with the Mexico Women’s National Football Team. The team qualified for the Summer Olympics held in 2004 in Athens, Greece. In addition, she was part of the 2011 team that earned a Bronze Medal at the Pan American Games. From 2011 to 2012, Jennifer played for the Bay Area Breeze, part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League. She served as captain of that team. In 2013, the former teacher joined the Seattle Reign Football Club, part of the National Women’s Soccer League. She made seven appearances for the club during its inaugural season.
Even though she no longer teaches in the classroom, Jennifer has continued working with young people. In June 2012, Ruiz was a guest coach at the Julie Foudy Leadership Academy. She served as a director and coach of the Nashville Football Club, where she managed the development of the girls academy and mentored players on regional teams who competed in international competitions. For ten years, she has served as a youth soccer coach for the Palo Alto Soccer Club. In February, Jennifer accepted a position as an assistant soccer coach at California State University at Northridge.
Jennifer Ruiz-Williams: a genuine chalkboard champion.
