Tawa Intermediate in Wellington added a third old girl to its list of currently contracted White Ferns this morning.
However, this one’s a bit different – because she’s still there.
Jess Kerr is one of two new additions to the White Ferns’ contracted list but she happens to have just started a job teaching at her old school as well.
She told 1 NEWS she plans to keep teaching despite today’s big announcement.
“It'll be a juggle managing the two but I’m hoping I’ll be able to do both to my best,” Kerr said.
After a standout domestic summer, culminating in a debut with the White Ferns, the 22-year-old is now officially on the New Zealand Cricket books.
White Ferns coach Bob Carter said her selection was a given.
“Jess has been up there as a very fine swing bowler and that’s why she’s got in the team,” Carter said.
“She’s really forced herself into having a contract.”
It puts her alongside incumbents and fellow Tawa products Sophie Devine and younger sister, Amelia.
Kerr admitted her sister was a driving force behind her quest for selection.
“Seeing what my sister did and coming from a cricketing family… it kept me in the game and I sort of realised from them that it’s something I can make a career of.”
Kerr is already adapting what she’s learned from her journey for her own students.
“We did a thing called, ‘are my why’, which is just putting all the important things in your life, your why, [on a poster] and I thought that would be quite a cool thing to do with my class as well.”
With a World Cup in New Zealand still scheduled for early next year, there are plenty of reasons why this teacher is determined to keep learning.
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