While spending the summer of 2006 in Peru, Jessica O’Rourke had a few “eye-opening” experiences.

A lot of the people she encountered were poor, but they were gracious for what little they had. O’Rourke, a senior midfielder majoring in Spanish, recalled one instance where telling a clerk to keep the change made all the difference

“I remember one woman — I went to a store to buy water,” she said. “The water was less than a dollar. She went to give me change, and I said, “No, don’t worry about it.” I was in a hurry; I was actually going to play soccer with some of the kids there. She was just so grateful. She was very sick and needed surgery, so she was trying to raise money.”

O’Rourke said the summer in Peru was an “amazing trip — one that exposed her to different people and to a different life.

“It was a great experience to get to know how other people live,” she said. “You take for granted everything you have, and it was an eye-opening experience to see how other people live.”

The people in Peru were “very gracious and very giving,” O’Rourke said.

“I remember going to some of the towns, and the people there were so poor and they didn’t really have anything,” she said. “They were the nicest people, and they were always smiling. The way they lived, they were so happy with the little bit they had. It really shocked me, but it was really nice to see.”

These experiences led O’Rourke to realize one of the key lessons she tries to live by.

“You have to be grateful for the little things you have,” she said.

Junior forward Lindsay Vera, a student in First Year College, said the team is grateful for O’Rourke’s contributions on the field.

“Jess does really well,” Vera said. “She takes it in stride. [We] always try to keep up our communication and push each other to step up. Jess is all about showing by example. She won’t talk about anything, but she’ll get on the field and tear somebody up. A lot of people get picked up by seeing somebody working that hard.”

Growing up in New Jersey, O’Rourke said she had some idea she wanted to play soccer in this area, especially since she wanted to play against UNC.

“The ACC is the best women’s soccer conference, so I wanted to play down here,” she said. “I wanted to get out of New Jersey and try something different. I wanted to play in the toughest league and go up against teams like Carolina. N.C. State just happened to be the best fit.

“As I started to get older, I realized I wanted to play against UNC. I wanted to take down the top team. That’s more gratifying than when you’re expected to win.”

Coach Laura Kerrigan said O’Rourke was on her recruiting radar because of her work ethic. She said it was obvious O’Rourke had technical skill, but she was always the hardest worker.

“She works the entire game — 100 percent,” Kerrigan said. “Her shot’s gotten stronger, and she’s such a goal-scoring threat now. That’s a result of her putting in the work whenever she could.”

O’Rourke’s work ethic has proven to be vital to such a young team — the Wolfpack features 13 freshmen and eight sophomores.

“There is a pressure to lead, but I don’t really feel the pressure,” O’Rourke said.

She said she can sum up what she hopes to contribute to the team in one word: “effort.”

“Intensity,” O’Rourke said. “Just try. Your effort is the most important thing. Don’t give up; just keep trying.”

Vera said hard work has been a constant from O’Rourke throughout the young season.

“We expect constant hard work from her,” Vera said. “I don’t expect goals or anything like that. I expect her to control the midfield like she does so well.”

After games and training sessions, Kerrigan said the coaches will seek out a couple of players on the team for input.

“Jess is definitely the player I go to first,” Kerrigan said. “I want to try some things, and I go to her for the player’s mentality.”

Kerrigan said O’Rourke has a competitive mentality the coach hopes will be contagious throughout the team as the Pack works to improve on last season’s 3-7 regular-season ACC record.

“The effort — the warrior-type mentality — Jess brings,” she said. “She’s not going to take no for an answer. She’ll do whatever it takes to get the ball in the goal.”