By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
ROCHESTER — MaKenna Jackson is a record-setting pole vaulter, model and sometime demolition specialist.
That’s all at the ripe old age of 18.
The Rochester High School senior who resides just outside the city recently broke the school record set by Ashley (Minix) Meadows by clearing 9-7 at an invitational in LaPorte on April 20.
“It feels like all those hard morning cold practices all just paid off, and I think from my freshman year, (trainer) Karmin (Reeves), and I had a goal to break the record, and it felt good to finally achieve that,” said Jackson.
She said she believed doing gymnastics when she was young helped her with pole vaulting.
Jackson pole vaulted as a freshman and sophomore before taking a break her junior year to focus on video.
She’s interested in film, currently job shadowing sports broadcasting at the University of Notre Dame.
Her post-high school plans include studying cinema arts at Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida.
“I want to get into journalism and screenwriting,” said Jackson.
“I’m a big James Dean fan,” she said, talking of her love for old Hollywood.
She hopes to act and direct.
“I think that was really my goal since I was very young,” said Jackson.
Her parents are David and Katrina Jackson.
Katrina is a photographer, which helped MaKenna start modeling.
“My mom always had photographed me and so I’ve always just been photogenic,” said MaKenna. “When I really started (was) at 5, doing fun little shoots.”
A few years ago, MaKenna signed with Heyman Talent agency based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
She’s now with Helen Wells Talent and Promotional Model Agency based in Indianapolis.
One of the brands MaKenna did work for was Nationwide Insurance. She’s modeled in New York, California, Texas and Tennessee.
MaKenna also had a photographer take her senior pictures in Puerto Rico last year.
Her sister, Lydia, 6, is already following after her by modeling, doing a shoot for Finish Line.
MaKenna has also helped her father, David, with his business Jackson Demolition Services.
“I’ve always just helped out and worked but … we got to do an internship program (through school),” said MaKenna, mentioning she got to go “on the excavator or Bobcat, scrapping and doing all that fun stuff at the concrete crusher site by the landfill.”
“Republic Services actually had me film two videos for them … since they won best landfill,” she added.
MaKenna said she plans to still model after high school graduation.
Her college doesn’t have pole vaulting, but MaKenna said she still hopes to continue the sport in some way while in Florida.
She said she thinks she can anything like movie star James Dean who was from the small town of Fairmount.
“I think anything’s possible, and it doesn’t matter where you’re from,” said Makenna. “I just want to inspire all of my classmates and peers that you’re able to achieve anything wherever you are.”
