Profile: Atiba Jackson

Four-year-old Johari Jackson's dad, Atiba, will be getting his bachelor's degree in biochemistry this June, thanks in large part to both sets of Johari's grandparents.

Johari was born one month shy of his dad's last graduation, from high school. At that time, as much as Atiba loved his newborn son, he feared that his responsibilities as a teen-age father would prevent him from taking advantage of a scholarship UC had offered him and would derail his plan to become a doctor. "To get into medical school, there would be no Cs in sciences allowed. I had to get real good grades," he said.

But his apprehensions have now proven exaggerated. Both sets of parents -- his own and his girlfriend's – reassured him and Johari's mother, Jessica Contreras, that higher education was a priority that they would help them both achieve, even if it meant the grandparents had to help take care of their new grandson.

"We had about a month's notice that the baby was coming," said Gayle Jackson, Atiba's mother. "I think you have to determine priorities. A lot of people might say that because the baby is here that he should quit school, go to work and support his child. But I believe that school is work – work that will prepare you for a better future.

"A teen-ager cannot support a child on the salary he would earn at 17 or 18. I think it's important to provide support in ways that allow your child to get an education," said Gayle, who retired five years ago from a career in pharmocology.

Alvin Jackson, Atiba's father, agrees with his wife: We made a decision that it was important for both of them to get an education. We knew it would be an initial hardship for all of them, but for the longer range we thought it would be most beneficial to Johari if they finished college.

"Atiba promised he would do his best, and he did. He made the dean's list several times, and he was in a very rigorous major," said Alvin, who is a physician and medical director of Community Health Services in Fremont, Ohio, outside of Toledo.

"I certainly think he did his part. I saw a lot of growth and development in Atiba after the birth of his son. I am so very, very proud of him. I think he is an excellent role model especially since there are so many teens having children today," said Johari's paternal grandpa.

While it helped that the grandparents had financial resources to help the teen-aged parents, Dr. Jackson stresses that Atiba received a scholarship from UC's Darwin T. Turner Scholars Program to finance tuition. (Atiba is also this year's winner of the Turner Program's James Rankin Award, given for academic excellence and contributions made to improving the quality of life for minorities on campus and in the community).

"I would tell any teen-ager facing a possible obstacle that in America there are all kinds of opportunities for youth if you have the right attitude and the will. ... There are a lot of people of goodwill who are willing to help if the students seek it out and have the right attitude."

While Atiba attended UC as an undergraduate, his fiancé, Jessica, attended University of Toledo as a nursing student. For the first two years, she limited herself to part-time studies, but in recent years has switched to full time. "I wouldn't say I am happy with the way things are now. I miss my son," said Jessica. "But I wouldn't be getting the grades I am getting if they weren't helping us."

Jessica's mom picks up Johari from daycare each afternoon on her way home from her job at a nursing home, takes him home to dinner and then drops him at the Jacksons for the night. In the morning, Atiba's mother gets Johari's breakfast and drops him off at daycare before putting in a day as a volunteer with a local high school program that encourages African Americans to go to college. Atiba tries to visit his son at least two weekends a month.

The schedule doesn't seem to matter much to Johari. "I have been amazed at Johari's ability to adjust," says Grandma Jackson. "He's already claiming his dad is a doctor. He really has adapted to this unusual lifestyle. The first year was the hardest. The separation was tough. But the way Johari tells the story, he has three homes."

Johari's other grandmom admits that at first Johari didn't like being away from his parents. "But now he is alright," she adds, joking that the 4-year-old helps to keep her young. "I am really proud of both Atiba and Jessica. They are both in school and going good."

This fall the medical school education that Atiba feared would be abandoned will get under way. He will enter UC's College of Medicine as a first-year med student and within a year, he and Jessica hope to get married. Medical School is becoming a family tradition. Nkenge Jackson Flowers, his older sister, graduated from Morehouse School of Medicine (Atlanta) this year. A younger brother, Jelani, graduated from St. Joseph High School and has been accepted to a pre-med program to Morehouse College. A ninth-grade sister, Wiloise, wants to be a dermatologist.

Atiba says there is "no way" he can repay his and Jessica's parents for all they have done to help. "But I hope I can let them know I appreciate what they did for me. ... They knew they'd either be helping me out now or for the rest of my life, because I needed to get an education to get a good career."