Jacqueline Certion, assistant director of the Foundations for Academic Success Track, or FASTrack, in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi, died at her home on December 18. She was 48 years old.
Certion joined the staff at the university in 2001. The FASTrack Learning Community helps students by offering a network of support staff and resources. In her position, Certion served as an adviser and mentor for thousands of students over the years. She also was the director of the university’s Books and Bears program, which solicits toys and donations for the children of Facilities Management employees during the Christmas holidays.
“Jackie was one of the brightest lights on our campus,” said Ethel Young-Scurlock, director and associate professor of African American studies and associate professor of English at the University of Mississippi. “She served as a beacon of hope for generations of students who say that her work helped them matriculate and graduate from the University of Mississippi.”
Certion was a native of Oxford, Mississippi. After graduating from Oxford High School in 1990, where she was class president, she went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and social rehabilitation services from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s degree in counselor education from Mississippi State University.