In her first year at Oklahoma State University, Amara Jackson was presented with the opportunity of a lifetime, but she would have to push pause on her college career to pursue it.

For many students, taking a gap year means giving up scholarships, momentum and financial stability, but for Jackson, it meant she could dream as big as the sky and still come back to finish what she started.

Just one year into her time at OSU, Jackson was elected National FFA President, leaving her with a big decision to make.

“I knew that my year as a national officer would kind of serve as a platform or a catalyst to more opportunities and new experiences, so coming back to OSU after that year was a no-brainer for me,” Jackson said. “I had a community here in Stillwater that was rallying behind me, but was also going to be here to help me transition back into ‘real life’ after taking a gap year like that.”

The decision became easy, though, when she received the news that her scholarships would be reserved for her as she pursued her passion for leadership on a national level.

“Getting selected as a national officer and knowing that I was taken care of when I came back to OSU took a lot of pressure off of me and allowed me to enjoy myself during that year,” Jackson said.

This wasn’t the first time Jackson felt relief to pursue her dreams fully, though. In August 2023, after paying full out-of-state tuition for an entire semester prior, an email came across her phone informing her she had been chosen as one of the first McKnight Scholar transfer students at OSU.

That email stood as more than just words on a screen, but a “divine intervention” that she was meant to pursue a future as a Cowgirl.

“It made me, as a rural agriculture student … feel seen and like I wasn’t just a number somewhere in the U.S.,” said Jackson, who was raised in Corunna, Michigan, and transferred from Lansing Community College. “I just loved that there was a university out there that cares about students from a demographic like mine.”