Winning big and flying high

March 17, 2026

Published in: John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences

Juggling life as an international student, student pilot and Division 1 athlete was all in a day’s work for Irene Jirasevijinda, ’25, now a flight instructor for UND

Irene Jirasevijinda stands by UND single-engine aircraft at Grand Forks International Airport. — Now a flight instructor for UND, Irene Jirasevijinda, ’25, played D1 soccer for the University while earning her Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics degree. Photo courtesy of UND Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

By Averie Eixenberger

College is challenging enough without having to juggle the intense schedule of an athlete with the complexity of flight training. But Irene Jirasevijinda, UND ’25, made it look easy, having competed as a D1 soccer player while earning her ratings and degree.

Discovering a passion

Originally from Thailand, Jirasevijinda found her passion for soccer after seeing some boys play at school during lunch. One day, she decided that she wanted to play, too, sparking an intense love of the sport.

“I immediately fell in love with it and all I look forward to everyday is playing soccer at school,” Jirasevijinda said. “From there, I joined my school soccer team and a club team back in Thailand, and I was always the only girl on the team. I love the sport because it gave me a sense of community, new friends, and it opened many doors to new opportunities throughout my life. Most importantly, I love it because it’s fun!”

Having discovered a love for soccer at 11, Jirasevijinda had a dream to play collegiate soccer in the U.S. So, she left her home country of Thailand to attend high school in California to improve her chances of getting recruited.

“Throughout my four years in high school, I never even thought or knew anything about aviation until my senior year,” she said. “I was already being recruited to come play soccer for UND; however, I still couldn’t decide what I wanted to study in college. I talked to my parents one day and went through a list of careers that I can see myself pursuing.

“Eventually, I said I wanted to be a pilot, despite not knowing anyone in aviation or anything about the process of becoming one. From then on, it was a no-brainer after I found out that UND has an amazing aviation program and that l would be able to play soccer at a Division 1 level.”

Irene Jirasevijinda playing soccer for UND — Before playing soccer at UND, Irene Jirasevijinda, ’25, was a member of Thailand’s U17 Youth National Soccer Team. While at UND, she started in 15 games as a senior and was named to the Summit League All-Academic Team. Photo courtesy of UND’s Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

The soccer aviatrix

Once in school, Jirasevijinda worked hard to balance her athletic responsibilities with the commitment required to complete flight training. She had to work around her games and practices to get flights and schoolwork done, but explained that she was fortunate to have coaches, professors and flight instructors who were helpful and accommodating.

“It was tough in the beginning to juggle everything,” she admitted. “We were gone a lot during the season, and as we all know, flying consistently is crucial, especially in the beginning of your flight training. So, it really took a lot of work and studying, trying to stay sharp and not fall behind in the classroom and in the plane. It taught me a lot about discipline, hard work and sacrifice.”

Despite the work involved, Jirasevijinda expressed that it is possible for students to have multiple interests while still successfully completing a degree. She explained that while different from each other, playing soccer helped her immensely in her flight training.

“I treated flight training like another sport I signed up for,” she said. “There are many aspects of flight training that are very similar to being an athlete training for a sport. You have to practice and put in the work outside if you want to perform on game day or stage check. Both sports and flight training are mentally and physically demanding. You need to be able to take criticism in sports and improve on it, just like how you get debrief notes from your flight.

“I also think being an athlete, you are naturally competitive and self-driven, which translates very well in the flight training environment,” she continued. “I think overall, playing sports made the transition into flight training a lot easier!”

Irene Jirasevijinda '25 and UND soccer teammates on soccer field — ‘Playing sports made the transition into flight training a lot easier,’ said Irene Jirasevijinda, ’25 (fourth from right), shown here with some of her UND Soccer teammates on Bronson Field, the home of North Dakota soccer since the team’s inception in 1999. Photo courtesy of the UND Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences.

What’s next?

Now a flight instructor and a UND graduate, Jirasevijinda is working towards building up her flight hours. As a member of the United Aviate program, she hopes to fly international routes to Asia for United Airlines one day. She encourages other students looking at extracurriculars while in school to get involved.

“I would say, do it.” advised Jirasevijinda. “Find something you enjoy besides aviation, and get involved. It will take up a lot of your time and add more responsibilities to your plate, but it will be worth it. You will meet different people, make new connections, and you will grow from the experience.

“I think it is healthy for everyone to have multiple interests because life is so much more than just aviation, sports or school.”