It was a time for excitement and joy.
Brandon Jackson, the installation's Youth of the Year, added another accolade to his list of accomplishments when he was recently named South Carolina's Military Youth of the Year.
"I worked so hard for something and it actually paid off," said Jackson, son of Marine Master Sgt. Francis Hurd.
To become the Youth of the Year Jackson had to compete in a local competition before facing off with other youths at the state level.
Each youth fills out an application, writes a speech and four essays as part of the competition process. The Fort Jackson Chapter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America had a winner for each month that competed head-to-head for the installation crown in January.
The 17-year-old senior at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, becomes "an ambassador to the military kids in the state."
"It feels good" to be the ambassador for "not only Fort Jackson, but also for South Carolina as a whole," the soft spoken teenager said.
Jackson plans on continuing his education after he graduation and majoring in mass communications where his love of public speaking should serve him well.
He credits his success to his mentor Shanee Jenkins at the post Boys and Girls Clubs who helped shape who he is over the past three years.
"I am very proud of him," Jenkins said. "He has definitely become a leader."
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