A North Carolina community is mourning Dorian Jackson, a 21-year-old North Carolina A&T State University senior who died Saturday while trying to save his younger sister after her kayak capsized at Lake Norman.
Jackson, a Greensboro native and James B. Dudley High School graduate, was visiting the lake on Saturday, September 19, when his sister’s kayak overturned. Investigators said she was about 30 yards from a nearby dock and struggling in the water.
Although Jackson’s sister was wearing a life jacket, he was not when he entered the water and tried to pull her onto his kayak. Neighbors helped bring her safely to shore, but Jackson went underwater and did not resurface. Multiple agencies searched for him, and his body was recovered around 1 p.m. Sunday, September 20.
Jackson’s family remembered him as a loving son, brother and protector. The eldest of eight children, he was known for deeply loving and fiercely protecting his siblings. In a statement, the family described his actions as an act of “extraordinary love and selflessness” and asked that his younger sister’s privacy be respected.
At North Carolina A&T, Jackson was a third-generation Aggie and Cheatham-White Scholar studying marketing with a concentration in sales in the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics. He was involved with the Honors College, Student Government Association, Beta Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund program. He also had accepted a position with Wells Fargo after graduation.
Dr. Jenard Moore, a mentor and A&T’s director of student success and retention, described Jackson as a “gentle giant” who approached his responsibilities with enthusiasm and challenged his peers to reach higher.
His family said Jackson was raised in a Christian home and that his faith in Jesus Christ was central to his life. They are choosing to honor his service to others and the legacy of selflessness he leaves behind.
North Carolina A&T officials have expressed condolences to Jackson’s family and friends as the university community grieves his loss.
Y’all Know What sends our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to Dorian Jackson’s family, friends, classmates and the entire North Carolina A&T community. May he Rest in Peace.
