by Brooke Hall
As goalie for the Crimson Pride inaugural women’s soccer team, Ana Jackson took the scenic route to becoming a collegiate athlete. Yes, she played in high school, on travel and indoor teams, as well on as on a 3v3 team with her brother that went all the way to nationals. However, after an injury in 2012, it appeared her football career was over. As an undergraduate at IU Bloomington, she pivoted to ultimate frisbee—which she loved—and didn’t look back.
Jackson graduated from IU with a degree in biology, got married, had five children (ages 1 to 7), and co-manages two businesses and a nonprofit. Ana only returned to soccer, a recreational coed league, to get in shape after having her youngest child.
However, it was playing in that league when everything changed. Another player, Chelsea Price, had signed on as the Crimson Pride’s women’s soccer assistant coach. She suggested Jackson consider playing for the brand-new collegiate team in Columbus.
“I had been thinking about going back to school. After talking to Chelsea, I saw a chance to make history playing soccer, and I could get my degree at the same time,” Jackson said. Thanks to early morning practices (she leaves the house at 4:30 a.m.) and the MBA’s flexible hybrid format, the schedule worked, and she went for it! Last month, Ana joined the IU Columbus MBA program and became goalkeeper for the Crimson Pride’s inaugural women’s soccer team.
“Ana is a great representative of our program,” said Jason Gough, IU Columbus head women’s soccer coach. “She is always positive, works hard, and motivates others. On a team of mostly freshmen, Ana is the voice of our back line/defense. She has been a pleasure to coach so far, and I’m excited to see her grow on the field and excel in the classroom.”
When she’s not at IU Columbus, she’s passionate about helping the formerly incarcerated. Her husband, Antonio Jackson who goes by AJay, founded Big Boys Moving Company and many of his staff are ex-offenders. Ana and AJay saw the need to help beyond employment and in 2017 founded M.U.M. (Made Up Mind, Inc.), a not-for-profit to help people who are re-entering society find housing, connect with social services, and have accountability. M.U.M. got its first federal grant in 2019.
After moving to a 65-acre property over the pandemic, they started Jumble Firewood on their land to help create more jobs. They’ve since become one of only three DNR-certified wood-processing businesses in Indiana, meaning they can sell firewood that’s allowed in state parks because of a kiln-drying process that prevents insects from spreading (a nod to Ana’s biology degree). Jumble currently sells to 30+ gas stations and is working towards a contract with Brown County State Park.
“All of my business knowledge is self-taught, and our businesses are growing beyond ‘mom and pop’ status,” Ana noted, explaining that her MBA concentration is in marketing. Her plan is to boost her overall business savvy by learning to organize and market better, and train and delegate more effectively.
So far, she’s enjoyed taking classes on a smaller campus, where she feels like part of the community and not just another number. In fact, to continue leaving her mark, she wants to start an ultimate frisbee club at IU Columbus.
On the pitch, Jackson appreciates the encouraging style of her coaches, who are supportive and understanding. At the same time, Ana’s quickly become a leader among the young soccer team. “I can help motivate them and share my experience on what an ideal team dynamic would be, how we can expand our potential by bonding and communicating even better.”
Goalie, mother, wife, student, business owner, leader, teammate. Somehow Ana Jackson manages to do it all with grace, determination, and a few Ted Lasso references mixed in. “I turn 30 this year, and I guess I just decided, ‘Football is life,’” she says with a laugh.