SEASIDE, Calif. — As part of the CCAA's spotlight on excellence for the month of September, we're spotlighting a pair of CSUMB alumni who helped define what excellence means to Otter Athletics. In this edition, we're putting the spotlight on volleyball legend Julia (Ashen) Jensen (2011–14).

Julia came to CSUMB from nearby North Salinas High School. The daughter longtime volleyball coach Bill Ashen and California women's athletics pioneer Jean Ashen, perhaps it was natural that she would excel in the sport. She did that on every level.

After being named Monterey County Player of the Year as a prep senior, she came to CSUMB and rewrote the record book over her four–year career. Six years after graduating, the three–time All–CCAA selection still ranks in in Otter all–time Top 10 in six statistical categories and in the Top 4 in five of those.

Even more impressive than her work on the court was her work off of it. Julia never received less than an "A" in any class she ever took from kindergarten through graduating with a perfect GPA at CSUMB. Her efforts in the classroom earned her a pair of CoSIDA Academic All–America^® awards. She is still the only Otter to win the award twice.

Julia is now her her sixth year teaching English at North Salinas High School. OtterAthletics.com recently caught up with Julia for her take on excellence in regards to her career on and off the court.


GIVEN THAT YOU NEVER EARNED LESS THAN AN "A" IN YOUR ACADEMIC CAREER, THE COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE FOR YOU OBVIOUSLY STARTED EARLY. WHERE DID THAT DRIVE COME FROM? DID IT DEVELOP MORE OVER TIME?
 
I was surrounded by some incredible people who continuously mentored me. My parents, extended family, teachers, and coaches were my motivation to be successful on and off the court. My parents are both long-time coaches and have worked at the high school where I graduated from (and now teach) for more than 25 years. Because of my family's connection to education, I took school very seriously in terms of setting goals and meeting them. 
 
I worked hard to consistently perform in the classroom and prove to myself that I could meet any challenge. Just as my coaches instilled in me the desire to compete for each and every point, my teachers fueled my love of learning and inspired me to accept nothing less than my best. When balancing academic and athletic priorities became overwhelming, these mentors continued to tell me that I was strong enough to keep going. Their belief in me kept academic success at the forefront of my drive to push harder and do more. 
 
YOUR COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE ON THE COURT MADE YOU ONE OF THE CCAA'S TOP VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS. DID THAT COMMITMENT COME FROM THE SAME PLACE AS WHAT FUELED YOUR ACADEMIC SUCCESS, OR DID YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT MOTIVATION ON THE COURT?
 
I am proud to have been a part of the CSUMB Women's Volleyball team and to have competed alongside my incredible teammates. I remember a few exciting wins and devastating losses, but what I treasure the most are the bus rides, team meals, camping trips, early morning practices, track workouts, and weight room routines. I played for the person next to me at the net or in the back court. Volleyball is not about individual success but about meeting team goals together and getting better daily as a group. I worked hard knowing that my teammates were just as committed. I was motivated by the dedication and drive of my teammates and I worked to motivate others as well.
 
YOU EARNED A CLOSETFUL OF AWARDS AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR YOUR ACADEMIC AND ATHLETIC SUCCESSES DURING YOUR OTTER CAREER. DO ANY OF THEM HOLD A PARTICULARLY SPECIAL MEANING FOR YOU? WERE THEY A MOTIVATION FOR YOU TO KEEP STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE?
 
I am humbled by the recognition that I received in my time as an Otter and grateful for the opportunity to represent CSUMB as a student-athlete. Being named as an Academic All-American recipient was definitely a highlight of my collegiate career. As a senior, this represented the culmination of four years of dedication to a program that became a second family to me. I am part of a sisterhood of incredible women who supported me through multiple injuries and subsequent surgeries as an Otter. My journey was definitely not easy, but it shaped the person I am today and gave me memories that I will forever treasure. It's the memories, and not the awards or recognition, that will always be the best part of my college athletic career.
 
YOUR SUCCESSES IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE COURT WERE THERE FOR ALL TO SEE, BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT BEHIND THE SCENES. AS PRESIDENT, YOU LED ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL YEARS EVER OF THE CSUMB SAAC. TELL US ABOUT HOW BOTH LEADERSHIP AND SERVICE WERE A PART OF YOUR EDUCATIONAL GOALS AT CSUMB.
 
SAAC works to involve student-athletes' voices in shaping the programs in which they participate and broadening the impact of the student-athlete experience in campus life and the extended campus community. In my role as a SAAC representative for the women's volleyball team and then as the president of CSUMB's committee, I took seriously the idea that sports is much bigger than any individual or any specific team. As a collective group, we committed to serve others and lead by example as ambassadors for all Otter student-athletes. Together as a campus athletic body, we worked to contribute positively to the wider local area and represent CSUMB through events such as donations for local food drives and fundraising for the CCAA's partnership with Make-A-Wish. 
 
NOW THAT YOU'RE A TEACHER, HOW DO YOU USE THE LESSONS LEARNED IN THE CLASSROOM AND ON THE COURT AT CSUMB TO HELP INSPIRE EXCELLENCE IN YOUR STUDENTS?
 
I just began my sixth year teaching and my students remind me daily of why I love going to school! It is incredibly important for me to model a desire to be a lifelong learner and to recommit myself daily to the understanding that learning is a process. This process is one that involves both moments of understanding and confusion; times that we struggle and have to ask for help and those when we become confident enough to teach others. I do not define excellence in the classroom as earning an A on every task and doing every assignment correctly on the first attempt; rather, the pursuit of excellence is built as a series of small moments when we choose not to quit, but to do more, be better, and ask for help along the way.