Tonight we’ll talk about the third installment of four in the “VB at the VA” series. Our theme for this evening is teamwork and a person who exemplifies this concept every day is Jaquetta Bonney, or “Quetta”, another former college Volleyball player and another hardworking, dedicated employee of the VA. As a defensive specialist at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, Quetta was nearly invincible, digging up spikes and passing that dig accurately to the setter. And, the term invincible lead us to the song of the day – “Invincible” by Muse.
“Follow through
Make your dreams come true
Don’t give up the fight
You will be alright
‘Cause there’s no one like you in the universe
Don’t be afraid
What your mind conceives
You should make a stand
Stand up for what you believe
And tonight
We can truly say
Together we’re invincible”
Quetta’s Volleyball career started at Lesterville High School in, appropriately enough, Lesterville, Missouri. During her senior year of high school, Quetta received all-league Volleyball honors and was the “Player of the Year” in the Black River Athletic League. After high school Quetta ventured on to Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, where she earned all-conference and all-region honors on the Volleyball court while also earning as Associate of Arts degree in the classroom.
Her Volleyball journey next took her to the city of St. Louis, Missouri, and the University of Missouri – St. Louis, playing Volleyball for Coach Denise Silvester. The Riverwomen, as they were called then, needed a defensive specialist (DS) and Quetta became the DS for the team even though she really wanted to play outside and hit. She excelled as the DS and the team went 49 – 9 her junior year and 28 – 21 her senior year. Quetta was an integral part of this success, demonstrating the sacrifice and the teamwork necessary for accomplishing the goal. Oh, by the way, she also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Marketing and Management while at the University of Missouri – St. Louis.
Quetta’s subsequent – and current – stop was the VA, where she has worked serving Veterans for nearly 25 years. She uses her teamwork and leadership skills daily to ensure that the job gets done and that the Veteran is served. And, let me tell you from personal experience, this ideal of serving the Veteran is not always an easy task because many things can go wrong in the complex and detail oriented world of the VA. Nonetheless, with dignity and aplomb, Quetta uses those lessons she learned in Volleyball and gets the job done each and every day. So, teamwork in the workplace, huh, what a concept! And it works, too!
Quetta, as a Vet, I thank you for all you do every day for the Veterans. We appreciate it!
Alright everybody, please, let’s use teamwork and grow volleyball together!
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
