UNDERGRADUATE NEWS
Jackson’s mind wandered as he botched box-outs, committed turnovers and missed layups. Then, after just eight games, he was shut down for the season because of repeated concussions. As Jackson watched from the side- line, he struggled to focus. His coaches, sensing that something was wrong, connected him with a therapist near campus. During those sessions, Jackson started to explore all the emotions the deaths had stirred inside him. No amount of therapy could silence a nagging thought: I need to go home. Midway through his sophomore season, Jackson left Long Beach State in hopes of finding a Division I program closer to relatives in Cincinnati or the Washing- ton, D.C., area. “When he was here, he had goals, but he was just going through things,” said Colin Slater, Jackson’s former Long Beach State teammate. “He couldn’t really see that finish line.” With recruiting interest tepid at best, Jackson landed at Division II West Virginia State amid the coronavirus pan- demic. Near-constant trips to help fam-
ily in Cincinnati and Washington made it impossible for him to establish any sort of routine with the Yellow Jackets. When he left West Virginia State last year, he felt lost and confused. Basket- ball was a core part of his identity. Since he began playing competitively at age 4, Jackson had used the sport to make friends, see a world beyond his rough Cincinnati neighborhood, feel good about himself and set goals. Though he knew he likely wasn’t destined for the NBA, he was desperate to get back to a college basketball envi- ronment and work toward a bachelor’s degree. For several months, Jackson scoured the country for open gyms, sleeping in the backseat of his Hyundai and messaging every college coach he could find on social media. “I’m not somebody to give up on my dreams,” Jackson said. “Where I come from, that’s really all you got.” After just a couple of months with Adams, Jackson was back to being the dynamic athlete who set the single-sea- son rebounding record at Riverdale Bap- tist, a powerhouse program in Maryland
that counts several former NBA players as alums. His highlight video caught the attention of Inglima, who needed to fill a scholarship after a player transferred out of SFSU two weeks before the fall semester. But the Gators couldn’t track down all of Jackson’s transcripts in time, forcing him to wait until the semester ended in December. His addition helped spark a 4-1 stretch. And even though his final per-game averages — 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds — were modest, Jackson showed enough for Inglima to project him as a program leader next season. Last week, when Jackson learned that he had won the CalHope Courage Award, he thought about the meaning behind his first name: “A light in the darkness.” “Honestly, maybe I was meant to go through everything I’ve been through,” Jackson said. “In environments where I grew up, mental health isn’t really paid attention to much. If I can help bring attention to this issue in Black commu- nities, maybe I can be that light.”
75 th Western Province Council Honors Gamma Alpha
B rothers of the Gamma Alpha Chapter at The University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco State University, and University of San Francisco, were able to attend their first in-person Province Council meeting and they came prepared and ready to serve the Province. Gamma Alpha collected several awards from the Western Province Achievement Commission at the 75 th Western Prov- ince Council:
• E. Lionel Davis Undergraduate Achievement Award pre- sented to Noah East, Chapter Polemarch, • Peter Butler Undergraduate Chapter of the Year • Outstanding Chapter G.P.A. Award • Sterling Dover Scrapbook Award – presented to the under- graduate or alumni chapter with the best documentation of chapter activities.
Here's to the Gamma Alpha Chapter!
THE JOURNAL ♦ WINTER 2021 - SPRING 2022
PUBLISHING ACHIEVEMENT IN EVERY FIELD OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR
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