Page 94 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2021

story and photo by Jae Schifano
Jakota White
“Even with my faith in God wavered, He still“ opened doors for me and I’m nothing short of grateful.
Jakota White, a senior at Gulfport High School (GHS), is very involved with not only his school, but also his community. He is in three clubs, Student Council, Key Club, and Fellowship of Christian Athletes Core Team. White is also student body president for the 2020-2021 school year and is a senior representative o cer for Key Club. He also plays on the varsity basketball, football, and track teams at GHS.
“My biggest inspiration would have to be my parents. Ever since I was little, they’ve told me I could rule the world if I wanted to. And encouraging words like that still echo to this day,” said White.
This year, White was voted Mr. GHS. He is on the Hall
of Fame page in the school’s yearbook as well due to all of his academic and athletic success within the school. He has a 3.6 GPA and was accepted into the Honors college at Ole Miss University. He was also nominated for the Kelly G. Cook Scholarship.
“I’m honored my classmates think of me as their Mr. GHS, and I never thought I’d get into honors college so it was a great surprise. I’m excited to start the next chapter, but I’ll wait on it until it gets here,” he says.
In his community, White is involved with the Mayor’s Youth Council. He served as vice president of Gulfport
PRESENTED BY:
Mayor’s Youth Council for 2020 and is also President of Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church Youth Department.
“It’s honestly just a blessing that I am where I am today. Even when my faith in God wavered, He still opened doors for me and I’m nothing short of grateful,” explained White.
94 | April 2021
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