He speaks with confidence and conveys intimacy. His voice is smooth and deep. You donโt mind him interrupting, because he doesnโt linger too long. Heโd rather be sharing the music he loves than bending your ear.
โWeโre rolling into the weekend,โ saysย Alex Jackson โ10. โItโs Friday afternoon, and youโre listening to the A-Train on College of Charleston Radio.โ
With that comes the gentle singing of CeCe Winansโ โHoly Spirit, Come Fill This Place.โ Itโs one of Jacksonโs favorite songs to open the show, and it serves as a blessing for the two hours of music and talk to come. For five years, Jackson hosted his own weekly show on College of Charleston Radio, serving up a smattering of gospel, R&B, Motown and soul music. Sometimes, heโd slip in some reggae and Christian rock, or invite a guest to play live music on the air. As a freshman, he worried how heโd fill two hours of airtime, and made detailed playlists of every song he would play. By the time he graduated, he was a relaxed veteran of the airwaves, and was more casual in his song selection and show preparation.
That Jackson handles his radio duties and other responsibilities with ease is a credit to his strength, optimism and can-do attitude. As an infant, Jackson was involved in an automobile accident that left him a quadriplegic. During his time at the College, he navigated campus in a wheelchair and was forced to adapt creatively to a number of challenges, which included broadcasting his radio show remotely until he successfully lobbied for the installation of a handicapped-accessible elevator in the Collegeโs student media headquarters in the Calhoun Annex.
Nate Mallard โ09 recalls the days when Jackson did his show remotely in a storeroom, and how he persevered through the technical difficulties that inevitably cropped up each week. โI felt disheartened, because I knew Alex loved doing his show, and every week there seemed to be a problem. But it never seemed to bother him,โ says Mallard, who worked as the radioโs general manager for a year. โHe would just keep going, trying his hardest to learn the new ways I would cook up to make his show happen.โ
Besides the radio show, the communication major and Charleston native sang with the College of Charleston Gospel Choir, stayed active in his church and volunteered with a local Boy Scout troop as an assistant scoutmaster. Jackson also worked in the Center for Disability Services, eager to ease the burdens faced by other students with disabilities and offer his suggestions for accessibility improvements in new buildings on campus, including the Carolina First Arena, the George Street Apartments and the Liberty Street Residence Hall.
One colleague at the disability center, Kay Fitkin, compliments Jackson for always showing up to work with a smile, sense of purpose and a penchant for joke telling.
โHis attitude is phenomenal. It helps the people who are with him. He doesnโt sweat the small things,โ says Fitkin, a student service coordinator. โHe is such a take-charge person.โ
As Jackson leaves the College and considers public relations job possibilities, heโs confident heโll find a new place to fit in. At the College, Jackson says, he acquired courage and learned that he could achieve anything he set his mind to. He also learned the importance of good friends and family, and the value of independence. In other words, he is prepared for whatever is on the horizon.
โAs college should, it opens your eyes to new things and new people,โ says Jackson. โItโs definitely made me a better person.โ
