Teammates, teachers and coaches alike say they could sum up Jessica Muller in one word: leadership.

What You Need To Know

  • Jessica Muller has stepped up in order to organize practices and make sure her teammates know what's going on this softball season

  • Working along with the food pantry she volunteers at, Muller created hygiene kits to donate to those in need

  • Muller is grateful for a chance to get one thing back to normal and hit the field after COVID changed so many of her expectations for her senior year

“She’s organized and she’s determined and she’s a true leader. These girls really look up to her," Roy Pokorny, the coach of the Yorkville Softball team where Jessica plays club, said.

Whether it’s managing the girls basketball team or volunteering in her community, this Bronx High School of Science senior steps up. Especially when it comes to leading the girls softball team.

“I wanted to teach the team. I wanted to lead the team,” Muller said.

Once PSAL sports got the green light to move forward this spring, the left-fielder quickly got the ball rolling, rallying her teammates in any way possible; beginning with organizing information and directing her squad to training videos. Now she leads practices with her co-captain, hoping to leave behind a stronger roster.

Although COVID-19 deprived her and her peers of the senior experience, she’s grateful for one last season on the diamond.

“It was a chance to get closure and step out onto the field one last time in that green uniform,” Muller said with a smile.

Softball isn’t the only sport that kept Muller busy these last four years. She was a setter on the girls varsity volleyball team. Still, she managed to keep up in multiple advanced placement courses and as a member of the senior council while also volunteering at a local soup kitchen. It’s safe to say this senior does it all.

“Going there and seeing how grateful these people are, how much they need the food,” Muller said. “And for me, just being able to do something else other than just sit at home, and actually give back. It’s been really important for me.”

Muller also organized a drive to collect hygiene kits for those in need. Over the last three years, she put together nearly 1,000.

“I had been worried,” she said. “I was like, ‘It’s COVID. I don’t know if people are going to be donating anything. I don’t know if this is going to work.’ And to see the amount of materials we got, to see the community band together to produce something that surpassed anything we had done before, that was incredible.”

Muller will be heading to Penn State next year where she plans to study forensic science. She plans to continue leading the charge, volunteering at the Lion’s pantry on campus, and looking out for those who may feel forgotten.