Jenna Zito’s Journey From Rutgers Gymnast to Impactful Mentor

Jenna Zito, a math teacher and gymnastics coach at WHS, was once a gymnast at Rutgers University. Her legacy remains intact as she continues to work with high school students today in and out of the gym. 

Zito, however, did not participate in high school athletics. The high school she went to, Morris Knolls High School, did not offer a gymnastics program, so she just competed for her club team. At North Stars Gymnastics Academy in Boonton, N.J., she was a Level 10 gymnast for five years before she graduated in 2009. Later that year, she began her collegiate career. 

Before she started at Rutgers, she struggled a lot finding a college that fit her situation. Because of Zito’s excessive injuries, she was never able to show all of her talent, and unfortunately in her senior year of high school she had major surgery on her foot that restricted her to the use of crutches for 12 weeks. It took almost a year of recovery and, as a result, colleges were not looking at her as a main recruit. 

Struggling through the difficulty, Zito was offered two walk-on spots: Rutgers University and the University of New Hampshire.

Despite wanting to get out of N.J., Zito knew that Rutgers was the place for her. “Both Rutgers and UNH had similar gymnastics programs where I felt I could contribute,” she said. She added, “Because I didn’t get a scholarship, it made more sense to go to Rutgers so I could pay in-state tuition. Rutgers also had great academics and I got into their prestigious business school. Logically, Rutgers made the most sense for the experience I really wanted,” said Zito. 

Zito soon received a full scholarship and served as the team’s co-captain for three years.

As many students experience, Zito found herself on what she called an “emotional rollercoaster” during the beginning of her time at Rutgers. Aside from working as hard as possible to prove herself on the gymnastics team, Zito found it difficult on some days to not second guess her decision. Zito recalled, “I had good days and bad days. But once I started acclimating to the school work, the training, my new schedule, and learned all the different bus routes to take, I knew I had made the right decision. I ended up thriving at Rutgers and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.”

In 2013, Zito received her undergraduate degree in mathematics, but ended up switching majors out of the business school. She then graduated with a master’s in K-12 math education in 2014. 

Today, Zito uses the skills she developed as a collegiate athlete in her adult life. “Because of my experience as a student-athlete I feel I can work cooperatively with colleagues, understand the true meaning of hard-work and preparation, balance a demanding schedule, prioritize and make sacrifices for what I want, have the confidence to pursue and accomplish challenging tasks, set realistic goals, handle criticism, and learn from mistakes and failures. That’s just to name a few,” she said. 

During her time as a collegiate athlete, Zito learned that no one can be perfect all the time. She learned to get up after falling and to keep trying to make adjustments so, eventually, she won’t fall down. She relentlessly prioritized what was important to her, and what she came there to do. In spite of the many distractions, Zito focused on her goals and took advantage of the resources available to her at Rutgers. 

If Zito could give any advice to incoming student athletes, she would say to take care of their physical and mental health by getting enough sleep and recovery time, and also never being afraid to ask for help. Regardless of the fact that Zito would not change a thing, she does regret that she didn’t take care of her body better by paying more attention to her injuries, amount of sleep and diet. 

Despite many bumps in the road, Zito’s collegiate career was not only successful but also a gratifying learning experience. She said, “Success is not based on a single act or performance, and to achieve success requires sacrifice and years of hard work.”

Updated on 5/6/2023 at 11:17 a.m.