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January 2011
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Jana Hainey: Student and Athlete
Jana Hainey spent four years pitching on Mizzou's softball team. Now a master's student, Hainey is the student manager in the Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects (PRIME) Lab. Photo: Joel Kowsky.
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Strategic Communication Graduate Student Has Enjoyed Success on the Softball Field and in the PRIME Lab
By Nathan Allen
Master's Student
During the 2009-2010 academic year, the University of Missouri had more than 500 student athletes. One of them, standout softball pitcher and strategic communication graduate student Jana Hainey, of Raymore, Mo., has taken the words "student" and "athlete" to a new level.
Unlike most Division I athletes, Hainey never played her collegiate sport for her high school.
"In high school I played volleyball," Hainey says. "I played club softball in the summer and went to a lot of camps and colleges for clinics."
It was at these camps that Hainey took the initiative and impressed recruiters with her athletic ability. The daughter of a Missouri alumnus, Hainey's love of Missouri athletics, coupled with her interest in journalism, made Missouri the ideal choice for her when it came time to choose a university.
Once on campus, it became evident to many that Hainey possessed the work ethic, discipline, determination, passion and positive attitude necessary to succeed. She spent four years as a pitcher in Big 12 competition and participated in two Women's College World Series. In her final season, she had a 7-0 record and a 1.54 earned run average.
"The standout feature that everyone notices about Jana is that she is very personable and has the ability to make others around feel good about themselves," softball coach Ehren Earleywine says. "In addition to being very likeable and positive, Jana is extremely hard-working and accountable. There are a lot of kids with a couple of those traits, but very few have all of them. Jana does."
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Jana Hainey has translated her drive and discipline from pitching in two Women's College World Series' to leading research studies as the student manager in the PRIME Lab. Photos: Joel Kowsky.
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During the spring of her junior year (2009), Hainey took Associate Professor Paul Bolls' psychology in advertising course. He also noticed Hainey's work ethic and positive attitude and recruited her to a year of independent study in the Psychological Research on Information and Media Effects (PRIME) Lab, where professors and students study real-time responses to media messages. Hainey's drive to take hold of her own education and success during her independent study led Bolls to hire her as the student manager of the Lab, a title she continues to hold. Bolls also convinced Hainey to pursue the BJ/MA program after she graduated with her bachelor's degree in May.
As the student manager of the PRIME Lab, Hainey is involved in many research projects. She is beginning work on her graduate project by examining how the mind processes sports sponsorship advertising. For a class, she is involved in a study exploring how college students process ads showing different body types. She is also working with a team to determine how the mind processes "extreme health PSAs." Finally, Hainey is the primary researcher on a study on health videos and food safety messages for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
And she does it all with optimism and energy.
"Jana is a real morale booster," Bolls says. "Labs can become laborious. Jana brings a hugely positive attitude to the work. She completely immerses herself in academic life in all ways: intellectually, physically and emotionally."
Beyond her drive and accomplishments, it is how Hainey has grown and developed that has truly earned Bolls' admiration.
"One of the most rewarding things a professor can experience is seeing students get smarter," he says. "I can truly say from spring of 2009 to this first semester of graduate school, Jana has gotten smarter."
With graduation coming in May, what are Hainey's plans?
"I am interested in sports marketing," she says. "I want to help teams reach audiences. I would love to do market research for the National Football League. I know I want to combine my love for sports and love for advertising."
Given the determination and optimism that have shaped her college career, those who know her find it nearly impossible to foresee Hainey not achieving her goals.
"I think any parent hopes their little girl grows up to be like Jana," Earleywine says. "She is a true role model, not just for girls but for all of us. Every day we have the option to choose between half empty or half full. Jana always chooses half full, and I think that's the muscle behind the smile."
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