Growing up, sports played a big part in Jessica Russo’s life.

As a standout athlete on the Old Rochester Regional High School field hockey and track teams, she learned first hand about the positive influence of athletics.

Today, she’s pursuing a career that allows her to follow two of her passions, sports and helping others. Russo was recently recognized for her work through Stars’ 2014 “40 Under 40 Awards.”

Stars is a Weymouth-based nonprofit child and youth development group that provides programs for children across the south shore.

A panel of local judges selected her for the award, which recognizes 40 south shore leaders younger than 40 years old for professional accomplishments, civic engagement and leadership potential.

Russo, 29, of Rochester is a manager at the Reebok Foundation and Community Relations at the company’s international headquarters in Canton. As manager she oversees all aspects of the foundation’s grant making process, including financial management, budgeting and reporting.

She also recently committed to becoming a mentor in the Peter Gammons/FTBNL College Scholarship program. The scholarship awards Boston Public School students a four-year scholarship to the college of their choice. Students are chosen based on financial need, education potential and for overcoming challenges such as homelessness, violence and cultural barriers.

Russo is mentoring a freshman at UMass Boston who recently immigrated to the U.S.

“She’s the first from her family to go to college,” Russo said. “It’s a new beginning for her.”

Russo, a Marion native, said her family inspired her career choice and volunteerism.

“They were my role models,” she said. “My parents and grandparents were all involved in giving back to the community in some way. They were interested in education and working with kids.”

The daughter of two public school teachers, her father coached football at Wareham High School for 37 years.

After graduating from ORR, she attended the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst and earned a bachelor of science in sports management.

Russo said after receiving her degree she worked three years for the American Cancer Society where she discovered that combining philanthropy and sports could become her dream career.

For three years, she managed a Relay for Life program at Arizona State University to lead volunteers and raise money for cancer research.

“I remember when I started working with the American Cancer Society I realized, ‘This is what I want. I want to love what I do,’” she said. Working to connect local nonprofits with Reebok’s corporate sponsorship for charitable events is a “perfect fit.”

Hired by Reebok in 2011, she has since streamlined the grant-making process and boosted employee participation in events such as the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.

Last month, Russo along with the other award winners were honored with a gala reception in Quincy. Proceeds from the event benefited Stars’ early education and youth development programs.