Jackson Free Press

This week, Jackson State University celebrates its homecoming, and one person who will be mixing business with pleasure is the university's Student Government Association President Jamaal Jackson. The 21-year old St. Louis native graduates in May from the state's only urban university, and couldn't be more proud of his soon-to-be alma mater. The thing that he is most proud of, however, is the legacy he expects to leave with the SGA for the next 10 years or so.

"I told people when I first got in the SGA as a freshman that I was going to be the president my senior year. It's always been my goal. (The SGA) is ensuring that the students who attend Jackson State have a first-class education. We make things happen," Jackson says.

One of the ways Jackson strove to ensure the success of his tenure was by attending several leadership seminars held specifically for individuals in student government.

While the SGA takes up an ample amount of his time, the finance major is also an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, one of the campus' charter members of the Blue Key Honor Society, the investment club, and he was former vice president of the Tiger Pride Connection.

Obviously, Jackson likes to keep busy. One of the things he misses about his hometown, he says, is the plethora of activities available there. But he doesn't regret coming to a smaller city for college.

"I wanted to go to an HBCU (historically black college/university), and my father had done some graduate work here. But when I saw the Sonic Boom perform on the NAACP Image Awards, that confirmed my choice for me."

Jackson says he's matured and learned to be independent and stay out of trouble during his transition from adolescence to young adulthood, and only his time in Jackson—at JSU—made that possible.

For advice to young people still trying to find their way in college, Jackson says: "You can make a difference the first day you step on campus. We all can make change, but it starts with you."

One of the myths about Jackson State the SGA president would like to dispel is that it's a party school. JSU is ranked 46th in the country according to the Washington Monthly Journal, which rates colleges according to their contribution to society, and 28th according to Black Enterprise, which rates the top colleges for African Americans. Jackson says the school produces well-educated citizens who realize the "endless opportunities" available to them as Jackson State alumni.

But Jackson admits that with homecoming this week, there may be just a little bit of partying going on.