Former women's soccer and Canadian National Team standout lands job with adidas Canada
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers women's soccer has a long list of letterwinners that have helped build up the foundation of the program through the years.
Jonelle Filigno Hopkins was a standout in the program from 2010-13, finishing her career as one of the most accomplished players in school history. Her total of 17 game-winning goals remains atop the Rutgers career record list.
A two-time NSCAA All-Region selection and three-time all-conference honoree, she also played for the Canadian Women's National Team. She earned a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympic games, scoring the game winner in the quarterfinals against Great Britain.
Filigno Hopkins recently retired from the game to move into the next chapter of her life, as brand marketing representative with adidas Canada. Her main categories that she works with are soccer, basketball and Originals.
"My role entails many different responsibilities," said Filigno Hopkins. "The best part of the job is preparing and organizing the events and seeing the final product coming from them. In addition to those events, I help in the process of manufacturing marketing tools to get the adidas brand out there, for example store signs that go up in our retail stores."
While she certainly has the biggest connection with soccer, she has been intrigued by the drive around Originals.
"Originals is super cool because it is the driving force for music culture and style within the city. If you are artistic in any way shape or form, and you are pushing boundaries and breaking barriers in terms of the culture in Toronto, then you fall under that list of people that we work one-on-one with."
While planning the events has been one of the best parts of the job, Filigno Hopkins also enjoys working with the athletes and musicians one-on-one. It is a position that coming from a background in soccer has made her the perfect fit for the role.
"To be able to work with athletes now from the other side of it is amazing to me. While I have their mind as an athlete, I am also grasping the business corporate mind as well. I am using both to make sure they have the best experience possible," said Filigno Hopkins.
Her background in soccer is not only beneficial for connecting with her clients, it has also helped in persevering through the late nights and long hours of the job. She embodies the Olympic athlete attitude of 'whatever it takes it is going to get done' to help push towards the excitement of successful events.
Another exciting aspect of adidas to Filigno Hopkins is the new partnership between the brand and her alma mater, Rutgers. Rutgers Athletics joined the three stripes in July 2017.
"It's very exciting to have everything aligned. adidas has been in my life from when I was a little girl and now I am working for adidas. I grew up wearing adidas then went to a school that was sponsored by a different brand. Then I went on to be sponsored by adidas," said Filigno Hopkins.
"To see the University that I spent my five years at is now with adidas I think it is all kind of aligning together. It is really cool to see that a brand that I really am passionate about and authentically love is kind of in all of the milestones of my life."
The Mississauga, Ontario, native can attribute many of those life milestones to Rutgers University.
"My college years were crucial in developing the skills that I needed to transition from soccer to the corporate world. Those were the years that I grew both as a person and found my direction in soccer. For me, Rutgers prepared me to the fullest and it wasn't just the academic side. It was the coaching under Glenn Crooks, Mike O'Neill and Meg Ryan as well," said Filigno Hopkins.
"It was that coaching staff, the leadership, teamwork, everything I learned being on the field and everything off the field, including the academics and sport management degree that I came out with that definitely helped me land this role that I am in right now."
Not only did Rutgers set her up for her career after soccer, the University became her home away from home. Forever Rutgers is something that holds true to Filigno Hopkins experiences and lessons learned from her time "On the Banks," but it has an even more significant meaning. As the women's soccer star met her future husband on a campus, an infielder on the baseball team.
"From a personal side, it's where I met my husband, Russell," said Filigno Hopkins. "He is now living with me in Canada, but New Jersey and Piscataway will always be a part of me for the rest of my life. It is where he grew up and where his family is. He went Rutgers too and played on the baseball team."
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The couple married last December in a stunning destination wedding in Cabos San Lucas, Mexico. Throughout planning her wedding and beginning her career, Filigno Hopkins still finds time to follow her alma mater. She followed especially close during the team's historic run to its first ever NCAA College Cup in 2015.
"I will never forget that 2015 season and to have all that homegrown representation of New Jersey was pretty cool. To see that team effort I was in awe. I knew they could do it, it was just absolutely incredible that journey from start to finish for them," said Filigno Hopkins.
"It's great because now there is that expectation. We used to be the underdog in a lot of different cases and now we have to meet this standard. There is no going back, which is great and it is only getting better, especially under Mike."
Wherever the world of soccer continues to take her, whatever exciting roles lie ahead with adidas Canada, and among all the newlywed excitement of settling down with husband Russell, Filigno Hopkins knows there is always one place she can look back on to attribute to where she is today.
"I always know that if I showed up there I would be welcomed with open arms," said Filigno Hopkins. "It is a school that I am proud of. When people ask me I am proud to say that I was from Rutgers and that I went through the system there. It was just a great experience for me from start to finish.
"Forever Rutgers is literal, Rutgers will always be right there with me."
