Jaxon Wicks Selected as Finalist for National NHS Scholarship
Launch the media gallery 1 playerCongratulations to Hilldale’s own Jaxon Wicks for being one of a group of 25 students selected from a nationwide pool of thousands of applicants!
Jaxon Wicks of Muskogee, Oklahoma was recently chosen from thousands of applicants on a nationwide search for the country’s most inspiring high school leaders. He was awarded an over $5,000 scholarship and an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C. where he will be recognized along with the rest of the group.
Jaxon says, “It is a great honor to be chosen for this award. I have worked very hard to not only become the best me I can be, but I feel I have served my school, community, state, and those around me to the best of my ability for as long as I have been able to, and I am very appreciative to have been recognized for my efforts. For so long, the youth of Muskogee has been told that we never get chosen for anything, that our efforts will end in vain, and we are wasting our time, but it’s just not true. Muskogee has so many things to be proud of and we are just starting to realize how much potential we really have.”
“As a student leader, I feel Blake Simmons, who has recently graduated from Muskogee High School, set the stage for what the youth of Muskogee will accomplish moving forward. He was a United States Senate Page and has since went on to the Naval Academy to become an officer. This, along with the many local officials like Mayor Marlon Coleman, Rep. Avery Frix, Senator Dewayne Pemberton, Rep. Chris Sneed, Sheriff Andy Simmons, and many, many more who have made great attempts at inspiring and encouraging our youth, only proves that Muskogee is headed in the right direction.”
Jaxon is a senior at Hilldale High School. He has been the Student Body President for two consecutive years now, the secretary of the National Honor Society, the assistant editor of the yearbook, the president of the Teen Republican Club, the president of Teens for Christ, the secretary in Mu Alpha Theta, and a member in various other school clubs. In his community, he has volunteered for over ten local political campaigns, all of which he believes were the right choices for the youth of Muskogee. He has recently served as an intern at the mayor’s office and attends as many city and county events as he can. He has served as an Oklahoma State Senate Page for Senator Pemberton and is a recent graduate of the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce Youth Leadership program. He also serves on the Teen Ambassador Board for Fostering Hope. Jaxon attends Boulevard Christian Church where he serves with the Children’s ministry every Sunday morning. His youth group participates in Mission Muskogee, which was highlighted in a statement put out by the NASSP concerning Jaxon’s selection. Additionally, he has been a licensed soccer referee for the past six years, where he hopes to encourage youth level soccer players to do their best. He has also recently started working with the County Commissioners Office.
“Jaxon is one of the most driven and well-rounded students I have ever known,” said Hilldale’s National Honor Society adviser, Laurel Holt. “He truly cares for this school, community, and city, and he will continue to do so for many years to come because that is what makes him different. It’s been his mission to be involved and make a difference in all aspects of his life, and he truly has his foot in every door—helping, changing, communicating—doing whatever it is that he can to positively impact people and their environment. Jaxon is a phenomenal young man, and I am grateful that I’ve had the pleasure of being his adviser and teacher for the past 6 years. It is an honor to have him representing Hilldale and our NHS chapter as one of 25 students in the nation selected for this award.”
“This isn’t just about me; it’s about putting Muskogee on the map,” Jaxon says. “It’s about giving a voice to the students in this area. We need to show them that Muskogee is now a place where we can achieve anything, so long as we work hard, work together, and dream big. As Mayor Coleman says, ‘Muskogee is too big to dream small!’"
