Jessup student-athletes earn community leadership awards

You don't always have to be the best player to make the biggest impact on your team. And you don't always have to be on the field to make the biggest impact. Two William Jessup University student-athletes were recently recognized with the 2021 Golden State Athletic Conference Cliff Hamlow Award. The annual character-based award recognizes a male and female athlete from each GSAC school for their contributions to their academic and athletic success as well as their leadership skills within the community and on campus. Junior women's basketball and tennis player Juliette Caughey and junior baseball player Kawaiola Takemura were the two representatives from Jessup for the prestigious award. In addition to being a two-sport athlete who helped Jessup's women's basketball team reach the NAIA tournament for the second time in three years, Caughey (pronounced COY) frequently volunteers at Bayside Church in Granite Bay. With aspirations of one day becoming a pastor of her own church, Caughey spends a lot of outreach working with those in the Bayside high school ministry, particularly those from her alma mater, Del Oro High School. "It's always been such a great community, and I've always wanted to go back and serve those people there because of how much they gave to me and shaped who I am," said Caughey, a 2018 Del Oro grad. "Serving your community and giving back to where you come from is a huge part of what that campus is all about." Those leadership qualities benefitted the Jessup women's basketball team. Although Caughey isn't one to fill up the stat sheet every night, Coach Hernando Planells says she is the ideal leader for a blended group of personalities. "She has a lot of leadership qualities, and during the course of this year, she spent time refining them," Planells said. "There's so much you can learn from trying to lead a very diverse group of players and it's been great watching her grow throughout the year." Caughey doesn't seek recognition. She's more of a lead-by-example type. Like many effective leaders, Caughey is quick to deflect credit. "A major part of why I feel I received this award is because of my teammates' willingness to allow me to lead us," Caughey said. "I don't feel like I carried them to any place but collectively we helped carry one another and it helped us excel into places we didn't know we were capable of." A native of Pearl City, Hawaii, Takemura has brought his sense of community to Rocklin. "I always wanted to go to college on the mainland and explore new horizons," Takemura said. "When I first came to Jessup, I was fortunate to be taken under and cared for by my coaches and teammates. I wasn't expecting too much, but the upperclassmen took me in and welcomed me like brothers and showed me what it takes to be a good leader." In addition to playing second base and hitting in the leadoff spot in the Warriors' lineup, Takemura has volunteered at the Placer County Food Bank and reading books to Rock Creek Elementary School students in Rocklin. After taking a couple of American Sign Language classes at Jessup, Takemura also participated in food drives for the NorCal Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at Elevate Life Church in Sacramento. "It was really eye-opening to see everyone signing and communicating," Takemura said. "I really enjoyed that hands-on experience. It felt good to see how we can impact people in different ways." A kinesiology major, Takemura hopes to stay involved in sports as a strength coach. He plans to graduate from Jessup in the fall and begin his master's degree next spring while playing out his final year of baseball. "I want to help other athletes develop and experience the next level," Takemura said. "So maybe one day, they can help somebody else."