Photo courtesy of Kim Ranney Photography
Pickerington High School North graduate Jackson Brandstaetter is headed to Ohio Northern University in the fall, but he’s not going to spend his last summer before college relaxing.
In fact, he will be helping some of the poorest families in the world through his travels to the Dominican Republic, as part of the Village Mountain Mission Project.
“The effects that these trips have had on my life cannot be put into words, but if I were to describe the experience, it is fun, hard, eye-opening, enlightening, unbelievable and heartbreaking,” Brandstaetter says.
This is his third summer returning as a veteran volunteer for the project.
“We sleep in hammocks, hang out with the locals, build homes with all hand-powered tools for people who otherwise live in sometimes less than a shack, and travel the countryside on days we aren’t working,” Brandstaetter says.
His favorite part of volunteering internationally is the opportunity to bring cultures and strangers together.
“I’ve made so many amazing relationships with both people who live here in Ohio with me, but also with people in the Dominican Republic,” he says.
Brandstaetter, 18, also makes it a priority to serve the local community. As a freshman, he was nominated into North’s leadership club, Sunny Side Up.
Photo courtesy of Kim Ranney Photography
As a part of the club, he gives tours to eighth-graders who will be freshmen in the fall, and he helps out with incoming freshman activities and other projects that make the school a better and more positive environment. Among his projects this past year was leading an effort to clean up the school’s courtyard after school.
“At the end of the day, we had about 25 people get involved, and had a nice clean courtyard with new plants planted as well,” Brandstaetter says. “It was amazing seeing people from all over the school, some I had never seen before, get involved with our cause.”
While juggling these involvements, Brandstaetter has also led his peers as captain of both the cross-country and track teams.
“I have a blast running, hanging out and growing with the guys on the team,” he says.
A standout moment for him was earning his first varsity letter last year.
“It felt so good to finally accomplish my goal since even before freshman year, especially after coming close, getting injured and then coming back better than before,” he says.
Cross-country and track will continue to be a part of Brandstaetter’s life after high school, as he will run for Northern while studying mechanical engineering.
Brandstaetter credits his passion for engineering to a combination of great science courses taken at North, including Doug Forrest’s AP physics class, and Jeff Good’s principles of engineering class.
“I’ve always loved to work with my hands, be creative and problem-solve by building things, so Mr. Good and Mr. (David) Lindquist’s classes have provided a great platform for me to do that,” Brandstaetter says.
Photo courtesy of Kim Ranney Photography
Specifically, he says, AP physics was one of the most challenging classes he has ever taken because of the quantity and depth of material covered in just one school year.
“The reason I mention this class is because it’s the class I’ve probably learned the most in both academically and in regards to life,” he says.
He appreciates Forrest’s emphasis on collaboration and peer work and, more importantly, for constantly pushing him academically.
“This class has shown me what to look for and what to strive to be like in order to have a successful team for things other than sports,” says Brandstaetter.
Brandstaetter has lived in Pickerington his whole life and is aware of the ways his teachers and peers have built him up.
“I’ve kind of had an idea of being an engineer for a while growing up, but these classes and the community have definitely strengthened my abilities, thought process and expectations,” he says.
Brandstaetter is also involved in student council and Team Physics. His motivation to get out into the community and meet new people, help people out and give back is what keeps him focused.
“Although I am excited and ready to move on to the next chapter of my life, I couldn’t be more grateful to have grown up in this town,” he says.
Sarah Davis is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
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