Meet A Bulldog: Jennifer Jackson

Nash Central senior Jennifer Jackson truly embodies what it means to be humble. Despite all that she has accomplished, Jackson has stayed grounded, and she is most definitely, by no means, a boastful individual. From a plain eye’s view, it would seem as if Jackson was nothing more than just the average high school student; however, she is certainly much more than just average.

Deservingly so, the culmination of all of Jackson’s extraordinary qualities have recently come to fruition. Jackson is the latest recipient of Tom Suiter’s exceedingly prestigious WRAL Extra Effort Award. Thanks to her exceptional work ethic in combination with her natural gifts, skill and ability, Jackson has experienced unparalleled levels of success in the classroom, pool, and community, and this makes her the perfect recipient of an honor of this caliber.

From her freshman year to present day, Jennifer Jackson has indubitably been the most dominant and decorated swimmer in the Big East conference, and this has set the tone for the rest of her high school career. She has earned All-Area Girls’ Swimmer of the Year honors during each of her high school swim seasons and is also the holder of almost a dozen Nash Central and Big East records. With this being said, it definitely would not be too far-fetched to say that Jennifer Jackson has been the most successful competitor to grace the pools of the Big East conference, and her career can certainly be described as nothing less than illustrious.

With the 2015-2016 swim season underway, Jackson hopes to cap off her senior season with a unique approach. When asked what her goals for this season were, Jackson responded by saying, “My particular goal for this season is to have FUN!” Swimming has frequently been a source of extreme stress for me, so this year I am trying to enjoy every swim meet and honestly have fun.”

While Jackson will attempt to exhibit a more lax attitude towards swimming this season, her mindset of achieving greatness has remained unchanged, saying “Although I am attempting to have fun, I still want to win and contain a strict drive for success. I would honestly love to take a final shot at becoming a State Champion, and am hopeful for the future of my swimming career.”

After back-to-back trips to the 3A state championship in 2014 and 2015, it is clear that Jackson will look forward to reaching the state competition for the third consecutive time this season and, with her slight change in approach, capturing the coveted 3A state championship is definitely well within reach for Jackson.

When asked to share what she would attribute her successes to, Jennifer Jackson’s selfless demeanor was genuinely showcased. Jackson responded by saying, “I would truly attribute my success and accomplishments to God, my family, and all my friends.” The maturity and strong character that Jackson possesses was also portrayed as she went on to say that “Without God, I have absolutely no clue where I would be with athletics or academics”.

Jackson also displayed how influential her family and friends have been in respect to her achievements, saying “My family and friends have always supported me and kept me level-headed. Most importantly, they have allowed me to be who I am and have been able to guide me through each of my successes and failures.”

Furthermore, Jennifer Jackson’s sentiments regarding the influence that her mother has played on her successes also manifests the level of humility she has in regards to her accomplishments. Jackson says that “Besides God, my mom has probably been the one specific individual that has pushed me towards success. My mother is absolutely my best friend, and she has motivated me towards success even in times of failure. I am motivated to succeed because of her, and the confidence she contains in my abilities.” This response undoubtedly illustrates Jackson’s humble and gracious character, and it also paints the perfect picture of the sincere individual that Jennifer Jackson undeniably is.

Additionally, swimming has definitely provided Jackson with many blessings as she says that “Swimming has changed my life in a variety of different ways, and it is almost indescribable”. In respect to the impact that swimming has had on her life, Jackson also says that “swimming has also allowed me to grow as a person. I have learned many valuable life lessons, and been able to experience the great rewards of hard work”

On top of this, swimming has also allowed Jennifer Jackson to foster her caring and nurturing ways as she says that “the chief influence that swimming has had on my life has been by allowing me to become a role model”. Jackson, who is heavily involved in her local community through various volunteering efforts, also feels that swimming has given her the opportunity to help others, saying that, “The little children on my swim team have been an immense source of inspiration for my career, and I strive to be the best I can be for them.”

When considering all that she has accomplished in a relatively short period of time, it is safe to say that Jackson’s future is exceptionally bright, and, even though, she won’t be swimming for the Nash Central Bulldogs next season, her career as a Bulldog is far from over. Coincidentally, Jackson will remain a Bulldog next fall as she has decided to continue her swimming career and most importantly her education at Gardner-Webb University. Gardner-Webb has a strong academic reputation as it was ranked as the 34th top university among regional universities in the South in 2015 by U.S. News & Report, and, as a Division I university, Gardner-Webb also boasts a first-rate athletic program, which makes Gardner-Webb a perfect fit for Jackson.

All in all, students such as Jennifer Jackson are those who make Nash Central a place where amazing things can happen, and Jackson will certainly continue to make Nash Central proud as she looks forward to taking the first step of turning her dream of becoming a pediatric dentist into a reality next fall.