“Trouble comes when you go looking, but if you’ll keep a good head on your shoulders and do the right thing, you’ll be okay,” advised Brody Jackson.
Although he is still a junior in high school, Brody Jackson does his best each day to maintain his focus and make wise decisions. He focuses on what needs to be done and how to achieve his goals.
“I always look forward to the future,” stated Brody. “Most people and my friends tell me I’m only going to be in high school once, but once I got out of high school I want to have a plan. I don’t want to be stuck, so I’m always planning ahead.”
He knows exactly what he wants to do with his life after graduation and is taking advantage of attaining a higher education while he is still in high school. Since he attends a private school in Alabama, he is able to use a grant that the state provides for higher education.
“I go to South Choctaw Academy, and I take college courses at Coastal Alabama, and I take industrial maintenance,” explained Brody. “I learned about different pumps and plants, like the paper mills around here and stuff. I learned like how to do safety maintenance on them and different welding jobs and stuff like that—like a safety crew to go in and test it, like OSHA for rigs. That’s the main job I want to do one day. I do everything on the computer and have to go through and read about all the safety stuff. I have to learn OSHA first, and then I’ll take quizzes about pumps and different welding courses and how a crane operates and all. I have to learn all the safety first, and then I have to learn how to operate. It’s a two year free grant from the State of Alabama that I have. After that, I can get a certificate, and the certificate can almost get me a guaranteed job as soon as I graduate and they hand me my diploma. If I play it out and go to work as soon as I get my diploma, then I can work that and steadily build on my farm. That way I’m not getting student loans after high school.”
His education isn’t the only thing that keeps Brody busy each day. He also has a job that he enjoys.
“I work for Davis Farms in Matherville, and he has 10 chicken houses,” informed Brody. “I work in the chicken houses for him. He’s training me to be over them, so when they have chickens coming in there or leaving, I just go in there. I’m basically his handyman, the tractor mechanic out there, and working cows out there.”
One of his passions is farming, and it was developed from a young age. It has grown over the years, and despite only being 16 years old, he has grown his little farm on his own.
“The first cow I got was given to me when I was eight years old, but ever since then I’ve gotten everything with my own money,” declared Brody. “I have a small farm right now. I just run cows. I have a cow and calf operation. That means I breed my cows, and they have so many calves a year. My herd is small right now because I don’t have as many pastures, but I’m steadily working trying to build it. That’s going to be one of my main jobs when I get out of high school—steadily build on it because I want to be one of the biggest farmers around here in Clarke County. I don’t want to move off or anything. I want to be known here as long as I’m here. Even if I go to work off, I want to be able to come back and have a nice place here.”
He would like to expand his farm even more over the years to include more things.
“When I get older, I want to run a cattle operation and train horses and maybe be a chicken poultry farmer. I enjoy that too,” proclaimed Brody. “Growing cattle and growing chickens are a science. You always just try different things, and some things work and some things don’t. That’s the only time I’ll look in the past—it’s a growing history to try and make me more money in the future.”
Along with his farm, Brody is interested in learning how to rope. He may not be a professional roper just yet, but he is working hard to improve and reach his goals.
“Right now I don’t have a roping horse, but I do take roping lessons for free,” described Brody. “Out there in Matherville, I rope with a guy out there. I help some people out there when they have ropings and just learn in the process. I’m saving up my money right now so that I can get me a roping horse. I ride other roping horses now, and I rope a little bit. I’m not ready to do it on my own.”
No matter what, Brody always makes sure to have a plan in place to achieve his dreams. He shows a strong amount of determination and maturity that makes him an excellent example for those around him. He makes a positive impact on those he talks to, and he will definitely succeed at whatever he sets his mind to.
If you would like to nominate someone for Person of the Week, contact Brittney Mangum at 601-776-3726.
