Going from being a 9th grader worried about COVID and wearing a mask all day to being a 10th grader with more regular routines could be a difficult adjustment–but not for Paint Branch 10th grader Jackson Kelly. He is enthusiastic about a new school year with fewer restrictions and more opportunities.
Jackson is looking forward to being a Forensics team member this year. In fact, he has already met with the team and enjoys it. Jackson is also interested in joining Perspectives, which is the group at PB that produces and performs plays in the fall and spring. The tennis team is also something that Jackson has an interest in joining, if he can, in the spring. Jackson said “My dad wanted me to try something active. I’m taking tennis lessons now and hope I’ll be ready to try out for the Paint Branch team.”
As the middle child and only boy in his family, Jackson likes to escape by watching movies and listening to music, whenever he can. His musical interests include pop music and R&B. Some of Jackson's favorite foods include sesame chicken and pizza, with his favorite pizza topping being pepperoni. Right now, his favorite restaurants for sesame chicken are Siu’s and Noodle King, but he enjoys it wherever he goes.
Jackson wants to have a career in journalism, so he’s very excited to be taking a journalism class and contributing to Mainstream this year. His interest in journalism began in 2016 when he started doing the newspaper club at his elementary school, and was unlocked in 2018 when he visited the CNN Center in Atlanta. While he was there, he observed and commented on the live CNN reporters to his tour guide, who was impressed and said, “you would make a great journalist.”
When it comes to Jackson's bucket list, it’s no surprise that he has a variety of specific goals for his life. One particular dream of Jackson’s is to visit Los Angeles, California–a place that he wants to visit because of the diversity and the weather. According to Jackson, “LA is a magical place.”
If Jackson could meet anyone, dead or alive, he would choose the celebrities Aaliyah and Beyonce, two of the greatest R&B singers of our generation. He said, “If Aaliyah hadn't died in a plane crash in 2001, then she would be on the same level as Beyonce.”
By: Sania Ross
