claim to fame
What do you get when you cross a love of music, a gift for
leadership, natural smarts and some serious study habits? St.
James junior Josef Jackson. This drum major leads the St. James
band and is actually grateful for the heavy responsibility the title
brings with it, saying it only fuels his fire to do well.
“Being drum major is a very demanding job. I constantly
have to push people to focus or try harder, but I also have to
balance the work with some humor and fun to make rehearsals
enjoyable.” he said. “ I think it’s good for me that it’s a little
stressful though; it keeps me motivated and it keeps me moving.”
That drive is evident in the classroom too; Jackson is one of
only a handful of National Merit Scholars in the city, an honor
he’s worked hard to achieve. “It feels good to know that all the
studying I’ve been doing for the past four years is paying off.
paging Dr. Jackson
College is definitely on Jackson’s horizon, and he’s narrowed
his list down to Vanderbilt, the University of Georgia, Samford,
Yale, Sewanee, Alabama and Auburn. No matter where he ends
up, adding Dr. in front of his name is the end goal. “I want
to go to medical school and become some type of physician,”
he said. “I’ve always enjoyed Biology and Anatomy classes in
school. Some family health issues have added to his interest in
medicine and may determine his specialization in med school.
“Both of my grandmothers had birth complications with
some of my aunts and uncles,” he said. “My parents feared that
they might be sterile because they took four years to conceive
my brother and another seven for me. I would love to research
reproductive disorders and find a way to minimize their effects.”
just for fun
“I love to just listen to music. I have a great playlist on my iPod
that I always whip out and listen to to cheer up or calm down.”
josef jackson
PG (parental guidance) rating
“My parents have pushed me from the very beginning of my
educational career to succeed. I picked up the motivation that I
have from them, and I’ve run with it to do all the things that I’ve
done today.”
parents’ perspective
Josef ’s dad Jeff Jackson is retired Air
Force and now works as a contractor for
Exelis at Maxwell AFB. His mom Lisa
is a stay-at-home mom. As to what influenced Josef to achieve National Merit
Scholar status, Jeff offered this: “Josef
enjoys academic challenges and competitions; he always has. And we’ve always
tried to instill a desire in our children to
achieve as much as possible. Josef has
been willing to do whatever it takes to
achieve his goals.”
Lisa shared some tips on parenting
high-achieving teens. “We pray with him and for him a lot! We
also feel that music is an integral part of the learning process, so
we introduced music into his daily routine early on,” she said.
“Reading is crucial too; both our children
were re