I AM UAA: Kimya Jafroudi

Accounting/Finance, Class of 2013
Hometown: Huntington Beach, Calif.
Fun Fact: Farsi was her first language, but her Iranian grandma teases her that she is not fluent anymore.

Seawolf Volleyball's senior setter, Kimya Jafroudi, describes her position on the court as the quarterback of the team. "My philosophy is that my job is not to get the kills but to set up our hitters to get the points for us," says the 5'7" athlete. It's this attitude of teamwork and sound strategy that earned her 2011 GNAC Newcomer of the Year, 2nd Team All Conference, and most inspirational at the team's end-of-year banquet.

Hailing from sunny Huntington Beach, Calif., Kimya chose UAA over UAF and Cal State LA at a time when she was ready for "the true college experience." She had spent her freshman year at University of California-Irvine and then transferred to Orange Coast College (OCC), and played volleyball for OCC as a freshman and a sophomore. Not feeling quite settled at either institution, though, Kimya started exploring other opportunities.

"Basically, I really liked my recruiting trip up here," she says. "The girls were awesome and I loved the coaches. I had lived at home for the past two years, too, so I thought it'd be a great chance for me to live on my own."

Kimya has been an athlete all her life. She played soccer for nine years and basketball since the 4th grade. She tried volleyball for the first time in 6th grade and actually got cut after five rounds of tryouts.

"I told my mom I needed to go to volleyball camp to get better," she remembers, "so that next summer before seventh grade I went. And it's funny because my mom always tells me this story that the director who ran the camp came up to her and told her that I would be a really good setter. By the end of my freshman year in high school, sure enough, I was our setter."

By her junior year-still playing both basketball ("that's my first love") and volleyball-she decided to focus on just one sport as school ramped up to graduation. That decision, and lots of dedication at the club level, propelled her to a solid college career on the volleyball court.

When asked what her best experience has been so far playing at UAA, she immediately nods to the fans.

"I think the crowd is amazing," she says. "I cannot get over it. That's all I rave about when I go home. It's just a fun atmosphere to play in, and you just start vibing off the crowd. It definitely makes me play better."

She also gives props to her teammates when talking about the "phenomenal season" they had last year. "That was my first season here and something just clicked with all the girls," she says. "We had a very good team; all the pieces were there. This year it's a whole new team, only five of us from last year, but I see a lot of potential." She's excited to see how the season plays out.

Meanwhile, as she balances game travel and practice with academics, Kimya is focusing on an accounting degree and will have one more year of school left after her eligibility for volleyball runs out. She has her sights set on getting her CPA license after college and pursuing a master's degree as well. Eventually, she sees herself running her own accounting firm-a role we can see her in as "quarterback," still calling plays and still setting up others to succeed. That's just how she rolls.