Jabreon Jackson: The Influencer with the Crown

An Influencer in Every Aspect

Written by Larissa Villegas & Lani Pieper, Photos by Lia Onisiphorou, Graphics by Dana Dang, Media by Taylor Lammi

In the life of a college student—where you are trying to figure everything out—you ponder your future and all of your aspirations. You dream up all the things you want to accomplish and sigh, “one day, I’ll be able to do them all.”

Well, 21-year-old Texas A&M Interdisciplinary Studies major Jabreon Jackson is doing just that. With a schedule filled with on-campus organizational activities, various brand ambassadorships, a self-started photography business, and community service events, she accomplishes it all while carrying the revered title of Ms. Black Texas A&M 2020.

Jabreon sat down and chatted with us about her life as a college influencer:

What are you involved with on campus?

Throughout college, I have been involved with many organizations. I just finished up my time as a 2020 Fish Camp chairperson and I have been actively involved with that for several years. I am currently Program Administrator for ExCEL Academy, a member of the President’s Council on Climate and Diversity as well as the University Disciplinary Appeals Panel, the Social Chair for Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and a member of the Transformational Learning Fellows through the College of Education. Needless to say, my days are pretty much booked.

How did you become involved with Instagram ambassadorships?

I think my first interaction and involvement with brand ambassadorships would be the Influencers Application. I remember seeing it around and I thought it seemed cool. So, I signed up and the very first box they sent me was of nail polish to review. Since then, they’ve sent me other beauty products like conditioner to promote on my social media. The initial encounter with that company really sparked my interest in influencing because I realized how easy it was to get those opportunities if you look for them.

About that time when I was becoming involved with Influencers, I got an Express brand ambassadorship which was really cool and different from other sponsored things I’ve done before. My first experiences with the boxes were pretty informal, whereas with the Express ambassadorship, they would call and you’d meet with their interns where they’d tell you the company goals for the month or they’d send me mood boards by email to showcase on Instagram. That was my first experience with an organized ambassadorship program with a brand that had a “look” in mind. Then from there was when I got involved with the Kendra Scott ambassadorship, which is the most recent brand I’ve been working with.

Is being a Social Media Influencer targeted toward certain people or can anyone do it?

I think that’s a common misconception people have. People think you have to have a certain amount of followers or you have to be a certain type of person, but in my experience, brands are looking for people who are passionate about their brand and will go to the “extreme” to show they are. At the end of the day, you can have all the followers in the world, but I think it is all about seeking out those opportunities and willfully putting yourself out there.

Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to be an Influencer?

I will say get comfortable with being uncomfortable and step outside of your comfort zone. That initial step is the hardest, at least that’s how it was for me because you look at these big Instagram pages and you think to yourself “that could never be me” or “I don’t look anything like that person.”

But you have to remind yourself that there is no mold or cut-out for someone to be considered an influencer. I think it’s really cool to see how impactful you can be by being yourself. At the end of the day, it’s all about passion and how willing you are to work to reach out to the people who relate to you.

Who or what’s your style inspo?

Honestly, it’s constantly changing. It depends on the day. But to sum up my style, I always say this: I need to be able to play a sport at all times. I want to look cute, but if someone challenges me to a game of basketball, I have to ball at that moment. 

How did you get started with your photography business and how has it developed?

I’ve always been into photography and have noticed that I have an eye for [photography]. It’s always been a constant thought in my mind. So, freshman year of college I wanted to get a camera, but before I got one, I would use my iPhone to take pictures and post them. I used it to see what I could do with what I had.

From there, I started saving up for a camera, but somehow I wore my mom down and she bought me my first camera. I started taking pictures of everything. Immediately, I had made an Instagram page to post the pictures I took. I also got into the Photography Club on campus and that was cool because they taught me from the ground up. Being in proximity to people who had advanced skills really helped me. Especially being self-taught at that point, I could not have progressed that far without that community. The more experienced members would often defer clients to new photographers to learn through experience. Taking those opportunities while in the club eventually helped me get a clientele. I think the biggest ways I grew my clientele was through word of mouth, Twitter, Facebook, always keeping a business card on me, and going to events where people would approach me for pictures.

How did you earn the title of Ms. Black Texas A&M 2020?

I was put into the running by nomination. People were submitting my name for the title and they reached out to me. They had many requirements to meet through the selection process to narrow down to a few girls. There was a GPA requirement, letters of recommendation, a minimum of 50 community service hours, a resumé, and an interview. Then, once those girls were selected, there was a pageant at the Ebony Ball run by the Black Student Alliance Council. I had to make an “About Me” video that they showed during the event and I had to go on stage to answer questions about what I would do with the title. I said I wanted to represent the title in a positive way out in the community. So, that’s what I did. I am very passionate about philanthropy and service, so I took the title, went out into the community, and volunteered. 

What community service activities do you do and how much of that takes up your schedule?

With COVID-19, it has been difficult due to restrictions, but honestly, I volunteer for anything. It started with my organizations. For one we did Socks for Seniors and organized sock drives and took those donations to nursing homes. There is Adopt a Highway, Angel Tree, Aggie Orientation Leader Programs, and an infinite number of other ways to volunteer. A lot of the things I don’t even realize count as community service. 

Recently a lot of my volunteering has been through Kendra Scott because we have Kendra Gives Back events. We pick philanthropies that we as ambassadors are passionate about and create connections with those nonprofits. Then we pick a day and whatever sales are made on that day, a portion would go toward the chosen philanthropy. 

Follow her personal Instagram @jabreonjackson and her photography page @jabreonjacksonphoto to keep up with her life, business, and ambassadorships!