"I've wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember, but the strongest motivator that solidified my decision was when my mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when I was fifteen. Her physician's treatments and support were impactful on our family beyond words. Her initial prognosis of six months turned into two years that we had with her. I hope to become a physician to impact other individuals and families."
 
After playing her final season with the University of the Incarnate Word women's basketball team in 2022, Jamie Means will finish her Master of Arts in Administration with a concentration in Healthcare Administration this summer. She has a job lined up as a medical assistant in an orthopedic surgery clinic, with the next step being medical school.
 
From a young age, Means saw herself as a doctor. Then, an impact one physician had on her family convinced her that was the right career path for her. And through the hardest moments as well as the best moments, her father has been her biggest supporter.
 
"My dad has always encouraged me in whatever I wanted to do, and I am confident I would not have made it this far without his love and support," Means said. "He has believed in me even in moments when I did not believe in myself. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have him in my corner."
 
Combining her student-athlete experience with the experience her family had, Means is excited to begin her own healthcare career, whether that is in sports medicine or primary care. As an undergraduate, Means had the opportunity to work in hospice care which showed her the impact chronic illnesses can have long term. As a student-athlete, she had first-hand experience how impactful the orthopedic world is on athletes and how much passion she has for the sports medicine industry.
 
Means began and ended her college basketball career with head coach Jeff Dow. As a freshman, she played under Dow at the University of Louisiana- Monroe. Dow accepted his head coach position at UIW and Means took some time off from basketball to study for the MCAT, but the pair met back up when she committed to play for Dow one last time in her final season.
 
"He helped me develop and maintain my confidence over the years through his constant belief in me as an athlete and person," Means said. "I decided to come play for him at UIW because I believe in the values that he stands for as a coach and a person such as honesty, hard work and accountability."
 
With Dow and her teammates in her corner, the support on and off the court has helped her get to where she is today.
 
While helping to lead her team to the first NCAA women's basketball tournament appearance in UIW program history, ESPN featured Means and her story of wanting to become a doctor and passing her MCAT during the game against Howard University. Playing in front of Dawn Staley and the University of South Carolina women's basketball team, Staley was impressed with Mean's story and shared her support on Twitter.
 
"Dawn Staley Tweeting to me was one of the proudest moments I've had in my life," Means stated. "I have looked up to her for as long as I can remember, as she has done so much for our sport over the years, on and off the court. She is the epitome of what it means to be a successful black woman, and to have her support motivates me to impact others in my own way as she has impacted so many."
 
Now, Means has the opportunity to purse her medical dream. The next step is to attend medical school, where she is grateful for any opportunity to learn and grow alongside many other qualified applicants.
 
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