South Summit High School senior honored with $2,500 Summit Pride Foundation scholarship

KAMAS, Utah — South Summit High School senior Ivy Jackson has spent the past two years building bridges, fostering inclusion, and leading with kindness. This spring, the Summit Pride Foundation recognized her efforts with a $2,500 Inclusivity Scholarship, awarded to a local student who demonstrates outstanding leadership in advocacy, inclusion, and community impact.

As president of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) for the past two years, Jackson has helped create a haven for LGBTQ+ students and allies.

“I’ve learned the importance of having a group of people who want to work together and help the community,” Jackson said. “Being united as a whole is much stronger than one might think—it can make more change.”

Under Jackson’s leadership, the GSA launched the “STAY” campaign during the 2023-2024 school year, a yearlong initiative to promote inclusion, mental health, and positive connections. Each month, the group chose a new theme, such as Stay Positive or Stay Inspired, and organized creative activities.

Jackson said one of the most impactful initiatives was Stay Aware, which involved setting up a massive coloring wall in the cafeteria.

“Anyone could walk by, grab a marker, and just take a moment,” she said. “It was so cool to see how it turned out, and it allowed people to check in with themselves. It helped people breathe.”

GSA activities extended beyond campus walls. Jackson helped coordinate joint events with other high school GSAs, including movie nights and pizza parties with music and games—efforts that created what she called “a small but powerful community where every individual knew they mattered.”

Jackson said inviting students to the group often started with something as simple as a lunchroom conversation.

“We’d just say, ‘Hey, what are you doing at lunch? Want to come sit with us?’” she said. “That’s how we grew. People want to be involved, and it matters when someone goes just a little out of their way to include others.”

That spirit of inclusion hasn’t always come easily. Jackson described the challenges of leading a GSA in a rural, conservative area.

“You really have to stand your ground,” she said. “People say things. But kids need this space—it brings more light and joy to the school. It helps people feel included.”

Jackson plans to attend Utah Valley University this fall, where she will major in psychology and pursue a pre-med track, with the goal of becoming a psychiatrist.

“Mental health has always been important to me,” she said. “I love understanding people and how they work, and I hope to stay involved in extracurriculars and service work that support mental health and inclusion.”

For Jackson, receiving the Summit Pride Foundation Scholarship was meaningful not because she sought recognition, but because it affirmed the values she’s been living all along.

“It’s just a symbol to be kind, to give people a place where they feel welcome and accepted,” she said. “I didn’t do any of this to win something—I just tried to put others above myself. And usually, karma does its thing.”

Jackson’s leadership, vision, and compassion have left a lasting impact on her school and community—proof that small acts of inclusion can ripple outward and create meaningful change.