STUDENTS IN ACTION
SPORTS & COMMUNITY SPIRIT Five JA Athletes Receive Recognition for Community Service through “I Am Sport” Nomination
It takes a lot of hard work and perseverance to become a successful athlete. And it takes compassion and consideration to become a successful community leader. Five 2021 graduates are well on their way to achieving both. Hudson Bridges, Elena Roberts, Emma Roberts, Alex Summerford, and Alice Williams were nominated during their senior year for USA Today’s “I Am Sport” award, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. While athletic ability is an important factor for the nomination, community service is also taken into consideration. In a virtual ceremony this summer, Women's National Basketball League member, Imani McGee-Stafford announced that JA's Alice Williams was Mississippi's winner.
Alice Williams | 2021 “I Am Sport” Winner Outside of JA, Alice Williams is actively involved with the Girl Scouts of the USA. She has earned bronze and silver star awards for her community service with both Community Place in downtown Jackson and by tutoring children at Canopy Children’s Solutions. Alice is currently working toward her gold star award by teaching the importance of dental hygiene to students in the Rankin County School District. A member of Christ United Methodist Church, she serves as a discipleship group student leader, Vacation Bible School leader, and works two times a month in the youth department. Alice was a varsity cheerleader and had been a member of JA’s swim team since first grade.
Hudson Bridges As an athlete, Hudson was a member of the JA football team. Off the field, he demonstrates his heart for others through countless hours of volunteer work. Hudson earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America and was voted by his peers for the Order of the Arrow award, which is awarded to a scout who best exemplifies the ideals of the Boy Scouts. Over the years Hudson has volunteered with many organizations. For his Eagle Scout project, he built a shed and worktables for Sunnybrook Children’s Home. During the flood of 2020, Hudson joined forces with the Salvation Army to aid flood victims. In addition, Hudson has regularly served meals to the homeless through Stewpot’s Community Kitchen and is involved with Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for families in need. Hudson has also spent hours serving the McLean Fletcher Center, which provides grief support for children and teens, and The Mustard Seed, a community for adults with developmental disabilities.
Elena Roberts The main characteristic of a disciple is to show a love for others. Elena Roberts demonstrates this through her role as a discipleship group student leader at Christ United Methodist. She actively serves on a weekly basis to ensure that the younger students she comes in contact with have a role model with a strong basis of faith. Elena led JA’s varsity tennis team as one of its captains. She also played on the varsity basketball team and was a member of the cross country team. 36 TRUE BLUE
