Wheaton Scholar Helps Improve Campus Safety
Ajahni Jackson, a third-year student at Wheaton College, has a passion for activism, innovation and community building. From the moment he stepped on campus, Ajahni knew that he wanted to make a difference. As a member of the Student Government Association (SGA), he has worked alongside many other Wheaton students to improve public safety on campus. One of his first initiatives was improving lighting across campus.
One of the first initiatives Ajahni helped work on was improving lighting across campus.
“One of our primary focuses was improving the feeling of safety on campus,” Ajahni said. “I’ve participated in various projects to create a safer environment, especially at night."
After identifying the darkest areas of campus, Ajahni and the SGA met with various academic departments and constituent groups, including astronomy and environmental science, members of the student body, and campus safety. A cost-effective lighting improvement that came out of these meetings was trimming the trees around campus lamp posts that had been overgrown.
Additionally, Ajahni helped begin the restoration of Wheaton’s blue light emergency phone system after they were removed from campus due to technical difficulties. By next semester, the phones are expected to be fully installed and functional again.
"Improving safety is about fostering trust and inclusivity,” says Ajahni. “You need community support. It takes a village.”
Apart from campus safety, Ajahni has helped to revive the Black Student Association at Wheaton and co-founded the Wheaton College Film Collective, Wheaton’s first on-campus film production studio.
