Jada Cerniglia (pronounced chur-kneel-ia) remembers checking her phone on Oct. 13.

When she opened Instagram to view @niuvolleyball’s then-recent post featuring her photo gallery of “pregame fit flicks,” her excitement couldn’t be contained.

“When I looked down at my phone and I saw NCAA with NIU volley, and I saw, one, I was the first one (pictured), and then, two, all of my pictures were on there, I freaked out,” Cerniglia said.

One of the collaborators listed on the post was @ncaavolleyball, the official Instagram account of NCAA Division I Women’s and Beach Volleyball.

As a post collaborator, the @ncaavolleyball account shared @niuvolley’s post – and Cerniglia’s gallery with it – to its audience of about 500,000 followers. As of Nov. 28, the post has garnered 5,943 likes, making it @niuvolley’s second most-liked post of all time.

But for Cerniglia, the post’s popularity wasn’t just a moment of fame. It was also a moment of validation for her choice of passion. 

“OK, this isn’t something that is just a hobby,” Cerniglia said. “I could definitely be serious about this.”

THEY CALL HER JADA RAE MEDIA

Cerniglia, a junior defensive specialist/libero and the resident media aficionado for NIU’s volleyball team, has become known for her passion for multimedia. 

“Everybody around campus calls me Jada Rae Media now,” Cerniglia said. “It’s kind of what they call me.”

The moniker is derived from her business of the same name that specializes in photography and videography. Cerniglia began Jada Rae Media in her junior year at Middleton High School during her time with the Milwaukee Sting Volleyball Club.

“I was traveling a lot for club volleyball, and one weekend, I decided to record everything and then put, like, a little video together of our trip,” Cerniglia said. “And then that turned into every single weekend, and it was just, like, the fun stuff that me and my team would do.”

By the time her club volleyball career had run its course, Cerniglia wanted to continue her media exploits. She transformed Jada Rae Media into a small business in May 2021, posting content to her YouTube channel and Instagram page.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

When it comes to her two major endeavors of volleyball and multimedia, Cerniglia follows in the footsteps of her parents, who are both University of Wisconsin-Madison alums.

Jada Cerniglia plays college volleyball like her mother Aleah Cerniglia once did, while inheriting her fondness for media from her father Mike Cerniglia.

The Cerniglia patriarch played hockey for the Badgers from 1996 to 2001. During his playing career, he hosted the “Mike on the Mic” weekly segment of the Jeff Sauer Show.

“He was always on the media side of things, and he always liked to be creative,” Jada Cerniglia said of her father. “I think that (passion) kind of came from him, and then I kind of took it and ran with it.”

And ran with it, she did.

ENJOYING THE LITTLE THINGS

Since being gifted a camera from her grandmother in Christmas 2018, Cerniglia has embarked on a media-driven journey that has been largely self-taught.

“I just kind of figured out how to do it, and I think each day, I get more passionate about it, and it keeps me so happy,” Cerniglia said.

Junior setter Sophie Hurt, one of Cerniglia’s teammates, roommates and closest friends, has witnessed firsthand the enjoyment Cerniglia derives from her vocation.

“It’s so fun to watch her do her thing,” Hurt said. “It’s so cool to watch her do what she loves, and she gets so excited about the little things that we film.”

Cerniglia’s personality has been apparent to many, whether it be on the volleyball court, away from it, behind the camera or in front of it.

“Jada has an infectious energy to her,” said NIU volleyball head coach Sondra Parys. “She’s always smiling, always bubbly.”

Kacie Quick, one of Cerniglia’s best friends and a junior second baseman/outfielder for NIU’s softball team, said Cerniglia often tries to use her skills to bring joy to others.

“She’s always trying to figure out a way to use her talent because she knows it’s there,” Quick said. “She loves doing it. She loves editing the photo. She loves giving people a reason to smile.”

Avery Carnahan, Cerniglia’s close friend, former roommate and a junior middle infielder/outfielder for NIU softball, said Cerniglia brings a kind heart to her genuine personality.

“Jada is probably the most loving, caring and respectful person I’ve ever met,” Carnahan said. “She has the biggest heart and is always there for me when I need it, even when we haven’t talked in a while. If I need something, she’s at my door instantly, and I would do the same for her. She’s just the best person I’ve ever met.”

FINALLY SEEN

From hosting volleyball’s “Mini Mic Monday” series to being a co-host at the 2023 Victors – NIU’s annual awards show for student-athletes – Cerniglia has seldom struggled to make herself seen.

However, when it comes to being seen as a volleyball player, the story goes a bit differently. For years, Cerniglia felt invisible in the eyes of her coaches.

“I had never really felt that I was seen by a lot of my coaches in the past — throughout high school, club and then my first two years,” Cerniglia said. 

That all changed last offseason when Parys took over as NIU’s skipper. It didn’t take long for Cerniglia to embrace the change and put her complete faith in the Huskies’ new leader.

“The one thing I remember the most from her (Cerniglia) is how bought in and excited she was for me and really wanted to pour her heart into my vision and what we’re doing here,” Parys said. “She’s been nonstop belief in me through this entire season, and it’s really meant a lot to me.”

As much as Cerniglia believed in Parys, the first-year head coach reciprocated that belief.

“Sondra was really the first one who saw me not only as a athlete that is worthy of being on the court, but also as a leader and a person that can help those around her,” Cerniglia said.

At long last, Cerniglia finally felt seen.

THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION

Cerniglia’s experiences thus far have all been part of a journey that, truth be told, has no destination. It’s all part of the motto Cerniglia has applied to every facet of her life.

“The journey truly is the destination because I work at my mental health every day, I work at my skill every day, I work as a leader every day and there’s no specific ‘yes, I finally made it’ type of situation,” Cerniglia said. “I feel like you’re continuing your journey throughout everything, and I think that is so cool.”

With an offseason and another season of volleyball ahead, Cerniglia will continue her journey and capture the moments along the way. After all, she’s Jada Rae Media.