DeSoto Student Gets New Wheels

SFSC DeSoto Campus student Jackson Jones got a new set of wheels this week thanks to Ed Kelly, an instructional aide in the Automotive Service Technology program.

Jones, a DeSoto County High School graduate who just started his first term at SFSC’s campus in Arcadia, had been making the daily trip to class using his grandmother’s rickety three-wheel bicycle. What Kelly saw was a student eager to get to class so that he could learn the skills that would propel him to a rewarding career.

“I knew there had to be a better way,” said Kelly, now in his fourth year teaching at SFSC. “Then I remembered I had a seven-speed Schwinn bike at home I never used.” Kelly said he brought the bike to class and asked Jackson to give it a test ride to see if he could hear the same squeaking sound Kelly had once heard. After a quick ride, Jackson located the source of the sound.

“OK, now it’s your bike,” Kelly told his student. “Jackson was so excited, and I’m just as excited for him.”

Kelly’s gesture of generosity caught the attention of his colleagues who would not let it go unnoticed by the wider SFSC community. At their prompting, we share Kelly and Jackson’s story with you.