'Bachelor' Contestant Jackie Has A Sweet Job

With every crop of new contestants on ABC's reality dating competition series, The Bachelor, there comes a whole new crop of interesting occupations that go along with them. This season, which sees The Bachelorette contestant Ben Higgins step into the shoes of someone dating over 20 people at once, has already introduced us to a number of ladies with jobs such as "twin," "chicken enthusiast," and "cowgirl." Although those are relatively self-explanatory — even if they raise more questions than answers — some are less easy to understand. So, what is a gerontologist and what else should you know about the woman with that title on The Bachelor, Jackie Dion?

Jackie is a graduate of the University of Southern California, and her testimonial on the School of Gerontology's website explains that in addition to majoring in Gerontology, she studied Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. Gerontology is basically the study of aging, or more specifically, the study of the social, psychological, cognitive, and biological aspects of aging. But Jackie is more than just her major (although it is an impressive one), according to her ABC bio she also enjoys music of the country and rap persuasion and she loves the hot weather, which makes sense since she was born and raised in California — her home town is San Francisco. Here are six other things you should know about Jackie before she appears on The Bachelor.

She Puts Her Degree To Good Use

There are many ways to use a gerontology degree, like going into research or social work, but Jackie puts her's to work as a writer for Stitch.net, which is described as a site that "helps mature adults find the companionship they need." So not only is she using her degree, she's using it to help others.

She's Religious

According to her Bachelor bio, one of the most important items in Jackie's life is her bible, so it seems this contestant is religious. That could be a very good thing since Higgins is also religious, so they likely have that in common.

She Gives Back

During her senior year at USC, Jackie won the TAPA Community Service Award for all of her outreach activities through the organization, and she's also participated in the Meals on Wheels program. Giving back is something else she shares with Ben.

She's Thoughtful

Not only does she give back, she also knows how to give to those in her life. In her Bachelor bio, Jackie says she likes putting thought into gifts, like making a piece of art or a craft of some sort. She says, "I think spending time and effort on someone else goes a long way."

She's An Athlete

Jackie was a member of USC's Track & Field team throughout all four of her years in college. According to her USC bio page, she ran cross country and 800m races. Impressive!

She's Adventurous

The gerontologist's love of adventure is incredibly clear from her Bachelor bio, in which she talks about paragliding with her father in the Alps — they jumped off a cliff! — and describes her perfect date as including "a fun, exciting new adventure." Now only time will tell if Ben will be able to keep up with her.

Jackie seems to have a lot in common with Ben, but that doesn't guarantee a connection — we'll have to wait and see how their relationship plays out on The Bachelor this season.

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Images: Rick Rowell, Craig Sjodin/ABC