MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- ASU alumnus Tarvaris Jackson received a presidential welcome from Dr. Gwendolyn E. Boyd on Thursday, Feb. 13.
Jackson, a former Hornets football player, helped the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl earlier this month. In fact, the game was being played on the same day Boyd arrived in Montgomery, where she was greeted at the airport by an enthusiastic crowd of supporters eager to witness her make history in her new role as ASU’s first female president.
Boyd mentioned to the crowd how excited she was that Jackson was playing in the big game.
During Thursday’s meeting, Boyd said she was proud to shake hands with an alumnus who also is a Super Bowl champion. Jackson returned the compliment, saying he was just as proud to shake hands with the University’s first female president.
Boyd and Jackson, both Montgomery natives, are two hometown heroes who credit ASU with helping them achieve their professional successes.
Boyd, who grew up in a housing project just down the road from ASU’s campus, said the University helped her see and fulfill her potential.
“ASU gave me confidence. Everyone knows what Tulane Court was like. There was not a lot of encouragement, not a lot of people saying go to college; but I gained confidence coming to Alabama State,” she said. “I had people behind me saying, ‘There is a lot of potential in you, and we want to see you exercise that potential.’ There were people pushing me, saying, ‘We know you can make it.’”
Jackson echoed Boyd’s sentiments.
“I had a lot of support; I had a lot of coaches and teachers behind me who were able to see things in me. They helped me out and pushed me, and I learned a lot of things here that have helped me out in the long run,” he said.
Jackson also shared a message for those who would follow in his footsteps.
“People think that it’s harder to get into the NFL or other professional sports coming from an HBCU, but my advice to young people is for them to work hard and if you are good enough, they will find you,” Jackson said.
After the meeting, Boyd presented Jackson with a sweater emblazoned with ASU on the front.
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA RELATIONS
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