Regional Scout/Recruiter for National Scout Report

Clarksville, Tennessee

AA, General Studies: Missouri State-West Plains

BA, Agriculture Business: Austin Peay State University

“The West Plains campus helped me by providing opportunities that I had never had before, as well as the tools to help me succeed at those opportunities.”

Jerome Jackson chose to attend Missouri State University-West Plains because of its dedication to a sense of community. While touring the campus, he discovered a host of people willing to assist him with his transition to the university. To complement this, he found that the small classroom sizes and one-on-one access to the instructors made attending a new school seem homey and familiar.

As a student athlete, far from his hometown of Lake Providence, Louisiana, West Plains was very different from what he was used to; however, he says it was probably the best two years of his life. He stayed with a host family for athletes who was able to provide him with a sense of stability, while also showing him the town and community while he worked for his degree. “The host family was such a great program, and it had the most impact on me. There were so many wonderful families there at the time and they supported us like we were their own.

“Diversity and communication were the two most unique experiences I encountered while I was a student at Missouri State-West Plains. Learning new cultures and new ways of communicating with people of different backgrounds allowed me to successfully navigate my way to achieving the success I have in life,” he said. “My basketball coach was by far the best mentor I had at that point in my life; his skills as a teacher, communicator and disciplinarian put me on a path that changed my life. He taught me how to be responsible and accountable in the classroom, community and on the basketball court. Those lessons have stayed with me until this day.”

“My degree allowed me to use the skills and knowledge I gained to help mentor and educate young students to be successful in different areas of their lives.”

Moving on is never easy, but Jackson has retained the things he learned at Missouri State-West Plains and translate them to his current job. “On my day of graduation, I left West Plains as young educated man prepared for anything set before me.” As a regional scout and recruiter in Tennessee, he says his greatest accomplishment so far was helping win the 2010 Tennessee Boys Basketball State Championship.

Jackson encouraged future and current students to invest in the community. “Interact and get to know the wonderful people that make the school great. The culture, diversity, exceptional people, supporters, mentors, teachers, host families and friends make Missouri State-West Plains a wonderful place.”