Jackson's Website

About Me

Hi, my name is Jackson Whitley and I’m a junior at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science. I’m 16 years old and live in Harvard, Mass with my parents and two brothers. My sending school is Bromfield Highschool which I attended for two years. Some of my hobbies are soccer, track, and skiing. In my free time, I additionally go to the gym and hike often. I was born in Birmingham, Alabama and lived there for a couple of years before moving to several different places across the country.

Sports

Soccer is extremely important to me because it makes me happy, keeps me fit, and teaches me life skills. Ever since I can remember, I have played soccer and it has always been a big part of my life. I play for my sending school (Bromfield), my club FC Stars, and my town team of Harvard. I can play outside back, center back, and center mid but my best position is center defensive mid. As a kid, I also was on the swim team, played tennis, and ran track each for a couple of years and my best mile is a 5:45.

Business Professionals of America (BPA)

Visit the BPA Website
Last year I joined a club at my sending school called Business Professionals of America. I liked the experience a lot and would highly recommend it to other students. We, through this club, created a sense of community in our school and had many real-world opportunities. My group created a presentation on small business management and presented it first at the State conference in Norwood, MA and later at the national conference in Chicago. I enjoyed BPA a lot because not only was I able to travel, I could also miss school and have fun with my friends. In Chicago, we had a lot of freedom and could explore the entire city.

Community Service

Visit the Harvard Conservation Trust
I gave back to my community through many hours of community service this summer, and even though it was difficult I still found ways to enjoy it. I did all fifty of my hours at the Harvard Conservation Trust in my hometown. We worked to maintain a hiking trail by removing invasive species, preventing erosion, and push back overgrown areas. Our work was worthwhile and extremely important for the protection of my community. The main species of plants we removed included Bittersweet, Buckthorn, Japanese Barberry, Burning bush, and Trees of Heaven.

Skiing

When visiting family last year in California, I went on a ski trip with my aunt and uncle in Lake Tahoe and was able to ski at a lot of different resorts like Palisades, Northstar, and Sugarbush. In the last couple of years I've began to focus on more on freestyling than racing. Growing up, I skied mostly at my local mountain, Seven Springs, and occasionally some of the big resorts out west. I ski every season and am looking forward to it this winter.

Travel

I love to travel because it’s just nice to get away and see new places. It’s cool to experience different cultures and try new food, even if it's just for the weekend. Plus, there’s something about being in a new place that makes everything feel a little more exciting, even if it's just walking around a random neighborhood. It’s also a good excuse to take a break and recharge, away from the usual routine.