Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – In any other year, the pomp and circumstance would have been different.
But amid these strange days of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, graduated Griffins women's soccer player Jamie Erickson found herself dressed up on her front lawn last month as MacEwan's John McGrath presented her with the prestigious President's Medal.
Most years, the medal – awarded to one student in each of degree and certificate/diploma programs for their exemplary combination of academic achievement and contribution to the betterment of MacEwan University – would have been presented during convocation, which wasn't possible during the pandemic.
"Honestly, I think it was more special to have it at my house," said Erickson. "I'm not one for big crowds or anything, so I had my family there and (head coach) Dean (Cordeiro) and his wife Jess – just some of the most influential people in my life for the past five years. It was nice to be able to celebrate it with them."
Also in attendance: the media and other university representatives, making it an unforgettable moment for Erickson.
"It was an interesting day to say the least," she said. "I knew (then-acting president McGrath) was coming with some other people from MacEwan and then I invited some of my family.
"They called an hour before they were arriving and were like, 'the news is coming and the Edmonton Journal.' So it was: mow the front lawn, fix the flowers up," she added with a chuckle. "It was definitely kind of surreal. There hasn't been much exciting going on with COVID, so it was kind of cool to have a different experience. It's been one of the highlights of my summer so far."
Jamie Erickson is interviewed by CTV on her driveway last month after receiving the President's Medal in a social distancing ceremony (Steven Stefaniuk photo).
Erickson is the first MacEwan student-athlete to win the honour since women's basketball star Kelly Fagan was awarded the President's Medal in 2017.
"It definitely means a lot," said Erickson, who graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Science, Biological Sciences. "It's kind of the perfect way to cap off my undergrad degree and the past five years. The four other seniors on my team I graduated with were equally as deserving. So, to even be picked out of them is an honour, but then out of the whole school is even more so."
Erickson, who in the spring became the first back-to-back winner of MacEwan's Female Athlete of the Year award in 22 years, left a memorable impression during her five-year soccer career, exemplifying each of a three pillars of a Griffins student-athlete: athletics, academics and community service.
Last season, she spent 72 hours volunteering for various MacEwan women's soccer initiatives, including Santa's Anonymous and the Food Bank, while maintaining top marks in the classroom and excelling on the field. In 2019, after representing Team Canada at the Summer Universiade, the talented centre-back starred in Canada West and became the first Griffin in any sport to make a U SPORTS first all-star team.
"She's just a winner," said Cordeiro. "She's going to be very successful in her future endeavours. She was at MacEwan to pursue an undergraduate degree before getting into medicine. Obviously, academic excellence is definitely something that's required if that's your pursuit.
"She really championed the big three things we look for in our student-athletes in terms of academics, athletics and community work. There is no individual that I've seen in my time at MacEwan who has championed those three to the same extent Jamie has."
Jamie Erickson, right, and Griffins teammate Sofia DiGiacomo go up for a header against Manitoba during a game last season. Erickson capped her five-year career with a spot on the U SPORTS first all-star team (Chris Piggott photo).
Erickson said the example was set by past MacEwan student-athletes and she's proud to carry on the tradition of strong leadership at the university.
"There have been so many amazing athletes that I've played with or played during the same years as me," she said. "Just their commitment to athletics and school and community has been inspiring. I'm glad I could build off that. It reflects all of athletics and the hard work that goes into it."
Eventually, Erickson plans to apply for medical school as she works toward a future career as a doctor. For now, though, her soccer dreams are at the forefront. She is aiming to sign a professional contract to play in Europe at some point during the 2020-21 season.
"Eventually I want to go to med school," she said. "My original plan was to go play professionally in Europe. That hasn't quite worked out yet for the summer, but I'm hopeful that in the winter here I can find a team and head over there."
The special time she has spent at MacEwan will always stay with her.
"I definitely want to say my thanks to all my teammates, coaches and everyone else in the athletic department who has really made all of my achievements possible the past five years," said Erickson.
