Simone Jackson used to chase awards. Now, she’s chasing potential.
Although her senior season didn’t end as the Trojans would’ve hoped, with Wake Forest emerging victorious on penalties in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, Jackson has ambitions beyond soccer. She’s an academic, a Trojan legacy and a future creative executive.
Even though she did not commit to USC until she was a high school freshman, Jackson has always been a Trojan. Her dad and brother played on the USC football team and her grandfather was a coach for the program as well.
But her decision to play at USC was influenced by more than just the fact she had family who were Trojans. When Jackson’s father suffered from a stroke, she witnessed his USC family rally for him with unwavering support.
“The Trojan family came in the same numbers as my actual family,” Jackson said.
Jackson often jokes that she “bleeds cardinal and gold” with her teammates, but it seems to be true.
Besides wanting to be a part of a second family and contributing to USC’s winning sports culture, Jackson also knew that she wanted to prioritize her academics as well. She had her eyes on the prestigious business of cinematic arts program.
Now, her collegiate goals have become a reality. She plays a pivotal role in the soccer team’s success while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business of cinematic arts, a master’s in entrepreneurship and innovation and a minor in screenwriting.
“I make life decisions, not just soccer decisions,” Jackson said.
On the pitch, Jackson just won her and the university’s first outright regular season conference title and played a major role in the team’s success, scoring a clutch goal against Ohio State on October 17, the first of a string of three ranked matchups for USC. The regular season title was decided by just a five-point advantage over UCLA, so every match carried serious consequences down the stretch.
With the clock ticking down against the Buckeyes, Jackson’s confidence never diminished.
“It’s coming,” she told herself.
Jackson delivered in the clutch, slamming one into the back of the net in the 83rd minute for the Trojans.
Since then, she’s shown up for the team when it matters most in huge games. Her most recent goal was against Saint Louis in the Round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Before every game, Jackson finds a quiet space and mirror so she can do her pregame ritual. She stares at herself in the mirror, takes a deep breath and tells herself, “This is your game. When the final minutes come down, I’m looking to you to do the job.”
The simple ritual is how she’s able to produce in those clutch moments. It shows how Jackson doesn’t pass off responsibilities to others. This tells a lot about how she sees her leadership role on the team.
“I look to add value,” she said.
Now in her fourth year with the Trojans, her team has required her to be valuable in different ways from season to season.
This year, she led with action.
To go along with her six total and two game-winning goals this year, she also takes pride in her leadership abilities off the field.
She serves as a resource to the younger players on the team for anything they need. When a teammate asked for advice on a minor she wanted to take, Jackson referred her to a friend of hers on the beach volleyball team that knew all about it.
Her leadership and ambition also goes beyond a desire to help her teammates and program. Jackson’s desire to succeed across multiple aspects of her life is shaped by the unique challenges she faces as a Black woman. She emphasized that people can be quick to villainize successful women of color, but she doesn’t allow that narrative to control her.
“I’m going to chase after my dreams and use adversity as fuel,” she said.
For Jackson, facing adversity is an opportunity to be 1% better. Any speed bumps she faces is a way for her to break barriers on and off the field. This mindset extends to how she represents herself, whether it’s wearing her natural hair or watching what she’s posting on social media.
“I’ve done enough to where I feel like, whoever my counterparts are, I deserve to be in the room,” she said.
Ultimately, she wants to show little girls that look like her that anything is possible and they can break that glass ceiling.
Her belief that “hard work, perseverance and just simply being yourself is going to win,” drives her goals post-college as she looks to play professionally.
Jackson sees a “win” in the NWSL’s new collective bargaining agreement, which eliminated the league’s traditional draft format.
“[It] looks like free agency, and it looks pretty nice. I’m not gonna lie,” Jackson said.
She hasn’t talked to any teams yet as she aims to finish out her school year, and while she doesn’t have any set preferences for a future team, there are factors she’s considering — like where her support system can be with her.
A team that did cross her mind, though, are the Chicago Red Stars, so she can reunite with her brother — former Trojan wide receiver John Jackson III — who plays on the Chicago Bears.
After she goes pro, though, she wants to utilize her athletic platform to uplift her wider career goals.
When it’s time for her to hang up the cleats, she hopes to become a prominent figure in the entertainment space. Whether she’s a creative director or a screenwriter, Jackson doesn’t want to pigeonhole herself in a specific lane.
“I want to chase my potential, and I’m going to be proud of myself regardless if that’s what I’m after, because I’m after my best self,” she said. “I’m continuously trying to level up, not just to be like a great college athlete, but just to be a great professional one day.”
Jackson emphasized that she’s not athletic-centered, but rather that she’s potential-centered.
The forward’s bar is constantly being raised, not just as an athlete, but as a scholar and creative. With the bar set so high for her, there’s no telling just how far she’ll go.
One thing is for sure though, Simone Jackson is not stopping until she’s reached her highest potential as a human.