Jessica Wiehrdt grew up in Naperville, Illinois, and attended Naperville Central High School. She earned varsity letters in soccer and basketball and was named all-conference in both sports her junior and senior years. The soccer team was the state’s runner-up and Wiehrdt was named to the all-tournament team her senior season. The National Honor Society member was also Naperville Central’s Female Athlete of the Year as a senior.

Wiehrdt entered Lake Forest College in the fall of 1994 and began one of the most successful soccer careers in team history that fall. The Foresters made the first of four consecutive Midwest Conference championship game appearances her freshman year and completed the first of back-to-back 10-0 seasons in conference play the following season. She recorded 23 points and was named All-MWC and Academic All-MWC as a sophomore, a feat she would repeat each of the next two years. The player her teammates called “Wierdo” tallied 21 and 43 points, respectively, while serving as captain during her junior and senior seasons. After moving from defense to forward as a senior, she matched one school record with 19 goals on the season and established another with five scores in one game. Wiehrdt graduated ranked second in team history with 91 career points and third with 35 goals and 21 assists. Lake Forest posted a 47-21-2 overall record with victories in 35 of 39 MWC contests during her four seasons. In addition to her exploits on the soccer field, Wiehrdt helped the Forester basketball team post a 68-22 record during her four-year career and averaged 9.5 points and 5.1 rebounds during her final two seasons. Her list of awards in basketball included three Academic All-MWC accolades as well as all-conference and team MVP honors as a senior. In addition, she was chosen by the Forester coaches as the recipient of the prestigious Nicholas J. Wasylik Senior Athletic Award.
                                       
While at Lake Forest Wiehrdt was also a member of Gamma Phi, awarded membership to Beta Beta Beta Biology Honorary Society, and selected to the Senior 25 (awarded to the 25 seniors who best represent Lake Forest College). She majored in biology and graduated cum laude in 1998.

Wiehrdt earned her doctorate degree from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine in 2002 and has worked for various animal practices in the St. Louis area.