Resident adviser...Wesley Fellowship volunteer... Deaconess...
Jackson's parents, Gary and Glenna, made a point of introducing their children to as many activities as possible. "I just happened to end up liking a lot of things," said Jackson.
Varsity basketball player... varsity tennis player... president of Varsity Athletes Club...
"In my 13 years of coaching college athletics, I've never seen anyone do as much as Mandy," tennis coach Cathy Benton said. "I honestly don't know how she does it all," said basketball coach Myra Sims.
The common thread in all her adventures is people. "Everything I do is connected to people and community service," she said.
Trombone player...church organist...
Not only did Jackson have quantity of work, but also quality. She carried a 3.20 cumulative grade point average while completing a double major in music and chemistry. She was voted to the GTE Academic All-District first team in basketball. She established 42 conference or school basketball records. She was an all-conference player in tennis for the nationally ranked Eagles.
Food bank volunteer... Habitat for Humanity...
Jackson was voted the 1994 grand female winner of the "Peach of an Athlete" award, presented by the Georgia Boy Scouts to the student-athlete who is deemed a good role model on the basis of her community service, academic and athletic achievements. Jackson was chosen the 1994 "Athlete of the Year" by Atlanta Sports & Fitness Magazine as the female amateur athlete who best combines athletic success with community service. She won the 1995 Sportswoman of the Year award from the Georgia Women's Intersport Network, presented to the female athlete, 18 or older, who best represents her sport through performance and leadership. Emory recognized Jackson as one of 10 students to receive a prestigious Humanitarian Award for "unusual commitment of time and energy in service to others," and as a semifinalist for one of four Robert T. Jones Scholarship Awards to study in Scotland for a year.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab assistant... summer tennis teacher... recreational therapist for developmentally disabled...
After graduation, she plans to continue participating in the community through music and wants to become a doctor working at an inner-city clinic.
(To be continued...)
--John Arenberg