Jessica Domingo will soon graduate from the University of Hawai'i with a degree in kinesiology, the science of human movement.

Someday, though, someone ought to do a study of her, a 5-foot-3 soccer midfielder who, between excelling in athletics and academics, seemingly operates in perpetual movement.

They could try to explain how Domingo has managed to lead the Rainbow Wahine soccer team to the Western Athletic Conference Championship, be a WAC Scholar-Athlete and earn admission to the William S. Richardson School of Law in her spare time. How she has set a UH assist record and a 3.38 grade point average and made it all seem as smooth as a banana kick from the corner.

Domingo will be among 163 scholar-athletes, players honored by the school tonight at the annual Scholar-Athlete Dinner at the Stan Sheriff Center. With a minimum 3.0 GPA and letter-winner status, they have reached a high level of performance in both the classroom and on their fields of competition.

For Domingo, that meant a senior season in which she was taking on not only opposing defenses but the Law School Admission Test and her regular course work.

"You have to find a balance between them," Domingo said. "When you are really tired but have work to do you have to find that balance."

It has been a "balance" worthy of The Flying Wallendas for someone who has overcome a series of injuries along the way.

Yet, she achieved all-WAC honors for a third consecutive year and made the all-conference academic hat trick while serving a third year as a team captain, too.

"You don't have a lot of free time outside of school," Domingo said. "That's the main thing, sometimes giving up the regular college life. But the way I look at it, I never thought it wasn't worth it. I was working for my future and this was going to be my last year of soccer so there was a lot I wanted to accomplish."

Not until the fall semester started did she really know where she planned to go after soccer. Initially interested in becoming a physical therapist, Domingo said the celebration of 35 years of Title IX at UH and the late Congresswoman Patsy Mink's role in it nudged her to thinking more about law school.

"When I heard about Patsy Mink, it was like, 'Oh, that's what I really want to be,' " Domino said.

With characteristic diesel drive she set about working law school prep into her overflowing schedule.

"Whatever I was doing I wanted to be at my best at it," Domingo said.

What she has accomplished in her UH career suggests she has definitely done that.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.