LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Jessica McCarson's nominator would like to remain anonymous.

"When I think of the word 'LifeChanger,' Jessica immediately comes to mind," said her nominator. "I know Jessica as ‘Coach Kilpatrick’ because that’s who she was when she first came into my life. I was at North Henderson High School and played softball when we received news we would be getting a new coach. Little did we know that our lives were about to be changed forever."

"When I was in high school, I was a moody, self-centered teenager with low self-esteem, and I was unsure about whom I was going to be or what I was going to do with my life. As soon as I met Coach K, that all changed," said her nominator. "Coach K is one of the few people who not only teaches the student, but the whole child. In the short time I had the privilege of playing softball for her, she taught me how to be a better softball player, but she also taught what being on a team meant. She showed me how to be a leader and how to positively influence the people around me. Most importantly, she made me see the value in myself and that I am special, valued and loved. I never doubted that she cared for me and my teammates as people, not just athletes. I know for a fact that anyone who has ever played for her will say the same."

Not many people would put their personal lives and families second behind their students, but Coach K did. She’d always be at the field early and would always stay late, way past when everyone else had left. She didn't stay to contemplate that day’s practice or game, but to make sure all her athletes got rides home and were safe, or to be there to talk if anyone needed it. Coach K has helped roughly ten girls reach their goal of being collegiate athletes by going above and beyond her job description, whether it was practicing one-on-one on the weekends for hours, or by helping them make a compilation of film to send out to college coaches.

"I’ve had many coaches in my life, and she is the only one I’ve witnessed who's willing to be that person for her students/athletes," said her nominator. "Any athlete who has had her as a coach will most definitely say they are better people, in many different ways, because Jessica McCarson was their coach."

"Fast forward to today, 2019, and you’ll find that moody, insecure teenager as a happy and secure fifth year teacher: that would be me," said her nominator. "If you told me at 15 that I was going to grow up and be a teacher, I would laugh at you! Being the teenager I was, I never cared to be around my peers, or almost anyone for that matter, except Coach K. She is easily one of the main reasons why I chose to go into this profession."

"After having her daughter, Avery, she decided to step down from coaching and become a math teacher, which was also the same year as my first year teaching," said her nominator. "I was blessed enough to teach at the same school as her; she was my colleague now! As a first year teacher, I struggled, but I knew that if I ever needed anything, I knew exactly who to go to for help. The person who helped me mold my future was still helping me become a better person! I know she misses coaching, but now, she not only reaches female athletes, but students of every background. She helps brings them up and out of their situation."

"Once, she said something that will stick with me forever: 'Always strive to be the beat version of yourself. Be a light everywhere you go,'" said her nominator. "Little does she know that she is the living version of that quote, and one of the best people I've had as a coach, mentor, and friend."