THE TOP TWO: Bishop Jackson (left) and Campbell Smith (right) have been named Salutatorian and Valedictorian respectively. 

THOMASVILLE- Campbell Smith and Bishop Jackson have been named the Valedictorian and Salutatorian for Thomas County Central’s Class of 2023. 

Smith, the son of Leah and Ben Smith, said he has always pushed himself to do well, but being Valedictorian was never the goal. 

“We didn’t see our class rank much throughout high school, so I didn’t actually realize how I was doing until I began filling out applications,” Smith explained. 

When Smith was filling out applications, he was ranked #2 in his class, with Jackson barely edging him out. 

Jackson said he, much like Smith, had always pushed himself, but the goal was never to win an award or receive notoriety. His main focus was always college admissions. 

Jackson had one end goal in mind: to attend MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). 

“If I wanted to even have the possibility of attending MIT, I knew I would need a lot of AP classes,” Jackson said. “That was the main goal and Salutatorian just comes along with that.” 

Jackson and Smith both took numerous AP classes and agreed it not only gives students an advantage for college admissions, but makes students more well-rounded on various topics. 

Since studying a variety of topics, Jackson and Smith, both believe they have found their calling. 

Smith plans to attend University of Georgia, where he will begin the Pre- Pharmacy track, focusing on helping and serving people, with an emphasis in the disparity of healthcare in rural communities. 

Jackson also has a specialized focus and hopes to major in aeronautical and aerospace engineering. 

“I don’t really want to be an astronaut,” he said. “I want to send people into lower orbit on different planets and send rovers to different planets. I think life on Earth will improve with the more access we have to space.” 

Jackson’s mother, Angela Davis is very proud of her son for not only achieving the status of Salutatorian, but also being accepted into MIT. 

“She was really excited when she found out,” Jackson said. “She supports me in everything I do whether it’s AP classes or competitions.” 

Smith’s mother was equally as excited, only she had to keep it a secret from Smith, until he found out. 

“We were all really happy, but my mom knew before I did, because she’s on the Board, so she had to keep it a secret a little longer,” Smith said. 

Smith and Jackson are both thankful to their families who have pushed them thus far, but they also are grateful to their teachers and have advice for the students who come behind them, hoping to achieve the same accolades. 

“High school is the one time you have to learn for free,” Jackson said. “Obviously, you’re going to go to college and you’re going to have to pay for that. But, right now, you have all these resources for free, rather that’s AP classes or dual enrollment classes, take advantage of them.” 

Due to the free classes, Jackson has been able to find pathways he enjoys and take them for fun, despite not using them for his ultimate career goals. 

Smith mostly focused on his academic and dual enrollment courses, but encourages all students to bring self-awareness and humility into the picture, when trying to understand difficult topics. 

“Never be afraid to ask for help,” Smith said. “Asking questions and asking for help when I needed it has allowed me to form good relationships with my teachers, which was important when it came time for letters of recommendations.” 

Jackson agreed, stating he couldn’t possibly thank all of his teachers without leaving someone out, but he and Smith both look forward to sharing a few words about some of the most influential people from over the past four years during their speeches at graduation on Saturday morning.