On Florida's east coast there is a 41-mile stretch from the Volusia County line to Dragon Point near Melbourne that is referred to as Merritt Island. Approximately nine miles from Merritt Island, there is a 34-mile long and six-mile wide stretch of land known as the John F. Kennedy Space Center that has served as the launch site for 75 NASA missions since 1988.
Merritt Island, according to Niche.com, has the distinction of having a three percent greater (16%) than the national average (13%) number of master's degrees or higher. The area also has a higher than the national average number of Bachelor's degree (25% to 21%) distinction as well.
The number of bachelor degrees improved by at least one individual for the Merritt Island, Florida, area in December 2022, when Salem soccer goalkeeper Jordan Tomberlin earned her bachelor of science in biochemistry. Tomberlin is now in the process of pursuing her goals of rocketing herself to the top of application process in order to attend medical school in the fall.
On the field, Tomberlin was a two-year captain for the Spirits, competed in 41 matches, making 23 starts along the way. She logged the fourth-most minutes (2747:48) in net in program history. Her prowess between the pipes ranked her second in program history in saves (194), a mark that is topped by only Hannah Wagner, who came through with 279.
Tomberlin was recognized as the 2021-22 Student Athlete of the Year at Salem. In her final season, she won four matches in 2022, equaling her single-season career-high that she set in 2019, giving her 11 in her career, which places her fifth in all-time goalkeeper wins in Salem history. She also leaves tied for the fifth-most shutouts (five) in Salem history, alongside Jessi Carter (2011-12).
Tomberlin, honored as a Distinguished Student Athlete in 2020-21, ended her collegiate career with four USA South Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, including three in the 2022 campaign. After claiming her first in-season award from the USA South on October 10, 2021, Tomberlin picked up her second on September 12th, following an 11-save outing against Johnson & Wales. She claimed USA South Defensive Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks in October, on the 24th and 31st, becoming the first Salem soccer player to earn that distinction four times in their career.
In addition to her role with the Salem soccer program, Jordan has been a Resident Assistant for three years, served as president of Tri-Beta Honors Society for two years, President of American Chemical Society as well as Vice President of the Campus Activities Board. She was also Vice President of Campus Activities Board, a tutor at the QUEST Center as well as an Admissions Ambassador.
Tomberlin has now shifted her energies from pursuing her undergraduate degrees, her involvement in the various Salem on-campus clubs and competing for soccer to applying for medical school. She is not the only recent graduate, who has aspirations for medical school, because according to the blog inspiredadvantage.com during the 2022-23 admission cycle 22,712 of the 55,188 students who applied for medical school matriculated.
While recently on-campus for a visit, the ever-positive Tomberlin discussed the application process. The advice and insight that she provided for her Salem siblings and future Salem students was resounding.
"When choosing to continue my athletic and academic pursuits in college, a Division III institution such as Salem College was a perfect fit," said Tomberlin. "With my dream of going to medical school I knew I needed a place that would challenge me yet be flexible with my dedication to both the classroom and the soccer field. The professors here have been willing to work with me when game schedules conflict with class and/or lab time, and in turn my coaches have allowed me to miss small things for class. Keeping a competitive GPA for medical school while playing a college sport is not easy and having both my coaches and professors support me through it has meant a lot.
"I have been able to receive Scholar Athlete of the year while playing for Salem College Soccer and it is a huge honor," continued Tomberlin. "All the times I studied on the way to and on the way back from games has been worth it. It has also served me well in finding research positions and opportunities post-graduation. Many employers see the dedication that any scholar athlete needs to be successful and medical school interviewers always want to hear about my time on the field. Looking back my decision to play Division III was the right one."
