Jada Livingston'20 - A Humble Leader

Jamie Neugebauer
Notre Dame has long sought to be a safe space for those who wish to proudly engage with their culture and heritage.
 
With that being the case, and among many other elements of her character, Jada Livingston in so many ways lives and embodies the type of person and student ND hopes to help mould.
 
Livingston, 17, is a defenceman for the Hounds Midget AAAs, where she is coached by Craig Perrett. Her father and uncle also attended ND, while her brother Hunter was a three-year Hound, who graduated last year, and is currently a defenceman for the Yarmouth Mariners Junior A in the Maritime League.
 
“I think the first thing about her is that she is so genuine as a person,” says Perrett.
 
“She has such a high moral compass, a great character who does the right thing more often than not. She’s a house leader on campus, she prides herself in that role and prides herself on doing the right thing. At the end of the day, she has been here three years now, so she knows what it takes to be a Hound. She also comes from a family of Hounds, so she has a lot of pride in that as well.”
 
A Métis woman from Ladysmith, B.C., and hailing from a small town on the east coast of Vancouver Island, Livingston received B.C.’s Premier’s Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport this past November. She also participated in the National Indigenous Games this past May, representing her province, and taking part in the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network’s series ‘Hit the Ice’, which followed that event.
 
“Winning that award, one that I’ve always been aware of and that is so prestigious in the world of Indigenous sport, was such an honour,” she says.
 
“To call myself an Indigenous Athlete, to participate in the Indigenous National Games, to represent not only Notre Dame and my province, but my culture, my heritage, is truly amazing, and I hope to inspire many others by doing so.”
 
Livingston was called a “200-foot defenceman” by Coach Craig, as comfortable in a physical, shutdown role as she is in creatively joining the attack. While the offensive side of the puck is the most recent element to develop in her game, her versatility, coupled equally with her impressive prowess in the classroom, has caught the eye of perennial Canadian University powerhouse the University of Alberta, and since representing B.C. well at the National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Manitoba last November, she has committed to the school in Edmonton.
 
“It’s a lot of stress trying to make those big life decisions,” she says.
 
“It’s not easy to pick the right school, so to finally have that off my shoulders is an amazing feeling. Knowing I am going to such an amazing school, with such an awesome program, and that my future will be set up well with them, is such a huge relief. I am so excited to go play there next year.”
 
Livingston also noted how excited she is to compete with her good friend and teammate Kendra Zuchotski, the Midget AAA Hounds captain, who has committed to a similarly strong program at the University of Saskatchewan.
 
With those two in tow, as well as Dartmouth University NCAA Division I commit and Team Canada U-18 defender Annie King, and veteran Madison Rutz, Livingston and Perrett know they have a defensive unit to rival any midget team in Canada.
 
“We’re pretty lucky with our D corps,” says Perrett.
 
“I could put on a lot of our women in key situations, and especially when you talk about those Top 3, they are so different, that it gives me so many options to fill the right need in the right moment. I have women that can play in any situation.”
 
A commitment to an incredible program, participation at national events representing her province, the recipient of numerous awards and accolades, getting great marks in school; one could perhaps excuse Jada for getting a bit of big head. In the case of the humble Livingston, though, it’s exactly the opposite.
 
“Certainly I am more of a humble person, I am definitely on the quieter side,” she says, “but I do find it pretty interesting having all these people coming to talk to me because I have always had to work so hard for these accomplishments. Now that it’s finally been recognized is pretty cool. I don’t have the right words for it, it’s just neat for people to notice your hard work.”
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