Jordan Travis’ desire to succeed has been part of his mindset ever since he was a youngster.

His mom and dad participated in gymnastics and soccer, respectively, at the University of Washington and they passed their drive to make an impact onto their son.

The Northwest University student believes in giving his best effort everywhere he roams, both on the soccer pitch and in the classroom. Travis was recently named a 2019 NAIA first-team Academic All-America men’s soccer player by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

The Bothell senior forward, who majors in business administration, led the Eagles with 12 goals and 29 points this season and added five assists.

The accolade is a soccer-classroom prowess combination with Travis being selected out of a group of Academic All-District winners. The award requires sophomore-or-higher academic standing and a minimum 3.30 grade point average.

“Jordan is deserving of this award,” said NU head coach Gary McIntosh said in a press release. “He is a committed student-athlete, and the student part of that is important to him. Northwest University is proud of Jordan for what he has accomplished on and off the field.”

The 22-year-old said that when he began his time at NU, McIntosh told him that knowledge will last a lifetime, much longer than a soccer career because of possible injuries. He’s thrilled to be recognized for his all-around hard work, Travis said.

NU students recently completed their fall semester and Travis earned straight A’s in all four of his classes, two on the master level and two undergraduate courses.

He’ll be graduating in May and then will study an additional year to finish his master’s degree. He’s getting married in November and plans to stay in the area and work in a project manager position at a large company.

Travis was homeschooled from second grade until 12th grade and played his high-school soccer for Inglemoor High. He broke into the starting lineup as a NU freshman and played there all four years. He was plagued with injuries the first three years — a fractured spine and shin splints — and rebounded to play a mostly healthy senior year.

“I think one of the biggest things that I picked up from my time there (NU) was just learning my ability to be resilient and to kind of bounce back from setbacks, whether that’s injuries on the field or a missed assignment or a bad grade or whatever,” Travis said.

The Reporter asked Travis a series of questions to get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into his life:

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

My dad had a saying when I was younger, “Show me your five closest friends and I’ll show you your life in five years.” That kind of ties along with the idea that life is all about relationships. (Both soccer and business-world ties.)

If you could go to dinner with one person, who would that be?

Bill Gates. That would allow me to pick his brain and see different avenues and ways that I would be able to follow in his footsteps and pick up little tips.

What’s your dream vacation spot?

It would be some sort of island in the Pacific or even the Caribbean. (A place like Fiji. Since he’s getting married in November, honeymoon options are on the table.)

What kind of music do you listen to?

I like pop music.

What super power would you like to have?

The ability to transform into anything you want would be pretty cool.

What’s your all-time favorite movie?

I really like the “Bourne” series.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

People taking things or using things of mine without asking.