Honors College student Jordan Gilkison has a drive for success - both in the classroom and on the golf course. As a sophomore business analytics major, he balances his time between keeping up with school and serving as a core member of the Kent State University Men’s Golf team.
The life of a student-athlete is very competitive. To perform well in tournaments and on tests, the pressure is on Jordan to bring his A-game. While this means a packed schedule, Jordan says that Kent State student-athletes make up their own community. He described it as feeling like a “fraternity.” He has met a lot of other students who share a similar competitive nature, and who also must balance school with a busy schedule. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s a lot of work,” Jordan said. “And it’s definitely something I would miss doing.”
The sport of golf runs in Jordan’s family. He has two older brothers who played golf in college, including Josh Gilkison, who graduated from Kent State University in spring 2022 after playing on the men’s golf team for four years, alongside Jordan for his last. Jordan has played golf since he was about four or five years old and hopes to continue playing professionally if the opportunity arises. “If [playing golf] doesn’t work out I have a backup plan with school… data science jobs or anything in the business field.”
Though golf is a challenge in itself, Jordan keeps up with his schoolwork as a student of the Honors College. He finds that time management has been the hardest part of being a student-athlete. “The biggest thing for me is planning out what I have to do for the week. Usually, I will write my assignments out on an agenda,” he said. Jordan also says that collaborating with his athletic advisor and his professors about due dates helps tremendously.
Being an Honors student provides some added pressure on Jordan’s already busy golf schedule in the best way. “Even in high school, I was trying to do as many Honors or AP classes as I could just because I feel like I prioritize school. I care about my grades. Any opportunity I get like the Honors College, I’ll jump on it,” he explained. One of the biggest advantages of the Honors College, he said, is that he can put it on his resume and increase his chances of getting hired after graduation.
Coach Jon Mills, who has been head coach of the men’s golf team since 2019, explained that Jordan has been an important part of the team’s success: “Each year [Jordan] has become more dependable in the classroom which gives him the opportunity to put the time into golf,” he affirmed. “Nothing phases him. When something is presented to him, no matter how difficult, he puts his head down and does the work without complaining.”
Many Honors College students like to find their favorite places to study, like the Honors College library or the Kent State Student Center. However, student-athletes must get accustomed to doing homework in more unlikely places, as traveling is a major part of playing a Division I sport. Many athletic team schedules consist of at least half of their games or competitions taking place at an away location. For Jordan and the golf team, all of their tournaments are away. Therefore, Jordan plans on doing homework in hotels, but sticking to his regimen of keeping things planned out helps him stay on top of assignments.
Though he is only in his second year of golfing for Kent State, Jordan has already created fond memories. He said the Mac Championship last year was one of the best moments of his golf career so far. The team was down in the tournament early on and then made a comeback. Jordan also noted, “My brother Josh won the whole tournament individually… the whole team went out to watch him and it was really cool.”
As an Honors student and a member of the golf team, Jordan certainly has a full plate of responsibilities. He states that translating his competitive nature into his grades as well as his golf game is extremely beneficial overall. “It’s helped me grow up, be more mature, manage my time. You meet a ton of new people…In general, I think if anyone can [play a sport in college], I think they should.”
To follow Jordan and the men’s golf team, please visit the Kent State University Men’s Golf website.
For more information about the Kent State University Honors College, please visit the Honors College website.
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PHOTO CAPTION 1: Honors College student Jordan Gilkison tees off during the first golf tournament of the year at Notre Dame.
PHOTO CAPTION 2: Kent State University Division I men's golf team member and sophomore Honors College student Jordan Gilkison.
Media Contact: Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, 330-672-2312