October 17, 2025
Creating Space for the next generation of students
How an alumna's legacy began at KU
The energy is electric at Northwestern University’s bustling student center.
Student leaders pitch events, flyers line the walls and, somewhere in the mix, Tracy Gibson-Jackson '96 moves with the ease and confidence of someone who can connect with anyone in the room.
Winner of the 2024 Jean E. Shedd University Citizenship Award, Gibson Jackson is the director of Student Organizations and Activities and founder of the Black Professionals Network at Northwestern. She oversees and advises more than 500 student organizations and ensures that community isn’t just a feeling – it’s an equal opportunity for all students.
But long before she was helping students find their place at NU, she had found her own under stage lights at Kutztown University.
When Gibson Jackson first arrived at Kutztown in the mid-90s as a 17-year-old freshman, it was a culture shock. She had grown up in the heart of Philadelphia, surrounded by city blocks and the fast pace of urban life.
“I remember driving in for the first time and seeing horse and buggies on the road,” she says. “I thought, ’Where am I?’”
Even though the farmland and slower pace of life was a different experience, she found her home away from home at KU.
“It felt like a natural choice coming to Kutztown. Something about campus just felt right when I arrived.”
A Natural Leader
Gibson Jackson found herself drawn to the spotlight after taking a few theater electives and getting a taste for being on stage.
“I felt like I was more alive in those theater classes,” she says. “I loved leading a room, telling a story and owning the space.”
Her official journey into student affairs began unexpectedly, after someone complained about
the noise she was making in a residence hall.
“I’m from the city, so naturally, that’s the energy I bring,” she says. “I was a wide-eyed, 17-year-old who was just loud.”
After she received a warning about quiet hours, her hall director eventually pulled her aside and suggested that she join Hall Council. That invitation changed everything.
“My hall director saw something in me I hadn’t seen in myself just yet,” she says.
Gibson Jackson eventually became the third-foor wing representative in Deatrick Hall, which was her first step through the door of student leadership and residence life.
From there, her involvement on KU’s campus expanded. She joined prestigious campus organizations such as Student Government Board and Black Student Union, where she became a voice for Black and Brown students and advocated for more inclusive spaces on campus.
She also served as an orientation leader and thrived while helping new students transition to college life.
By the time she graduated, Gibson Jackson had more than a captivating stage presence – she was a leader with a deep commitment to community-building and inclusiveness.
Giving Back to KU
After graduating in 1996, Gibson Jackson worked in residence life at Wesleyan University and was stage manager at the American Girl Theater in Chicago. In 2007, she became a coordinator for the Teater and Performing Arts program at Northwestern University.
From there, she grew steadily through the ranks, becoming the assistant director of Student Organizations and Activities and then the current director, a role she’s held since 2019.
But even now, with decades of experience and success behind her, she hasn’t forgotten where her journey began.
In 2021, Gibson Jackson launched the Tracey A. Gibson Jackson Class of 1996 Legacy Scholarship, supporting low-income, first-generation Black and Brown students at Kutztown University.
She raised more than $10,500 in the first year, partially through selling handmade jewelry online. She plans to continue giving back to the university that gave so much to her.
“You know, all roads lead to Kutztown,” she says. “The confidence and skills I developed as a leader in all the organizations I was involved in directly helps me to this day.”
By Ash Nave '17
This article originally appeared in the 2025 Tower Magazine.