"IF NOT FOR ATHLETICS..."
During this unprecedented time of challenge for our city, state and nation, we present a series of stories exploring how our University and the Southern Nevada community have made an invaluable impact on the 515 current Rebel student-athletes.
 
It's not uncommon for an upperclassman to change their major while in college. Lots of kids do it, actually -- some even more than once. But few have switched career paths for a better reason than Lady Rebel Krista Jackman.
 
A native of nearby Bullhead City, Arizona, Jackman will be a senior for the UNLV women's basketball team this winter. She is a six-foot-five center on the court for the Scarlet & Gray but stands even taller when on the Maryland Parkway campus because of her personal perseverance.
 
Originally majoring in UNLV's innovative academic program of comprehensive medical imaging, she is instead now a year away from earning her bachelor's degree in social work from the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs.
 
"I changed my major to social work because of everything that I've been through," says Jackman. "And since I've experienced it first-hand, I want to help kids that have experienced abuse."
 
Jackman, you see, is a survivor of child abuse, and now laser-focused on helping others make the same emergence from a bad situation that she successfully pulled off.
 
"When I was younger I lived with my grandmother until in the seventh grade when I started living with my biological mother," says Jackman. "And I was abused physically and emotionally by her until my sophomore year of high school."  
 
Fortunately, Jackman eventually got the helping hand she needed.
 
"I went on a basketball trip and sprained my ankle and had to go to the hospital. My mother showed up there and it was very obvious she was high from abusing drugs. So one of the nurses took me into another room and talked to me. (Child Protective Services) eventually showed up and I was placed with my adoptive family that I'm living with right now."
 
Enter Eric and Lindsay Hunziker. Well, actually the Hunzikers re-entered the picture as the couple had been family friends since Jackman was about five years old. Jackman's adoptive family also includes an older sister, Savanah, and a younger brother, Tristan.
 
"They took me in and without them, I probably would not be playing college basketball. I started playing really late and then, due to my mother and everything, it was such a struggle to play because she kept trying to take me off my team. My high school coach would come over and have meetings with her and tell her that I was going places – but my mom always tried to take that away from me. So, I would not have had this opportunity without my new family. They wanted to take care of me. They knew the situation I was in because I was in a very small town."
 
Jackman finally settled into playing regularly, earned some honors as a junior and averaged nearly 20 points a game as a senior.
 
"Basketball has always been my gateway. I was tall for a reason and felt like it was a sign that I needed to use my height towards something useful. I chose basketball and it's gotten me through some of the hardest times of my life."
 
Jackman's travel team coach knew UNLV's women's hoops staff at the time, which eventually led to a scholarship offer out of River Valley High School in Mohave Valley, Arizona.
 
"They wanted to build me as a player," says Jackman. "They liked my height, of course, and believed in me."
 
Her adoptive family makes the couple-hour drive up to Las Vegas to watch her play and Jackman says it's nice to be so close to those so important to her.
 
"I go home a lot, especially during the summer because there's a river. So I visit them a lot."
 
Jackman is looking forward to soon reuniting with her teammates and getting started under new Lady Rebel head coach Lindy La Rocque.
 
"I love my team every single year and now we have a new head coach so I'm excited to spend my last year as a Lady Rebel on a good note. We've had a lot of conference calls and she's an amazing woman. Coach met with us individually so she can get to know our strengths and what we want out of her, so she's very focused. She's obviously a hard worker and keeps the passion alive. I'm excited for this year because we're going to be a brand new team. It's a huge change but it's going to be fun."
 
And Jackman is already waxing poetic about her time in college nearing completion.
 
"It's coming down to the end of the road," she says. "I put my all into basketball because I knew it was going to take me somewhere. Without a scholarship, I don't think that I would have gone to college.
 
"I'm excited to do my internships these last two semesters and then start a career in social work, which is something I really think I will enjoy doing. I've loved my experience, and I've created amazing relationships with the staff and my teammates.
 
And now, it's just nothing but good memories."
 
UNIVERSITY NOTE:
Does your partner or family member make you feel afraid? Unsafe? You are not alone. We can help you create a safety plan.
https://www.unlv.edu/studentwellness/health-center/crisis
 
UNLV CARE (Campus Advocacy Resource Empowerment) Line: 702-895-0602
UNLV Campus Police: 702-895-3668
Office of Student Conduct: 702-895-2308
 
The Office of Student Conduct can issue a No Contact Letter if both parties are associated with UNLV, even if the incidents happen off campus, i.e: at an athletic event or study abroad
 
Shelters in Las Vegas
S.A.F.E. House: 702-564-3227
Safe Nest: 702-646-4981