May 13, 2026
'If you could see me now': Ferris State grad Kyla Jackson carries her mother's memory across the finish line
Kyla Jackson’s mortarboard shared the inspiration for her success.
When Jackson crossed the commencement stage Saturday at Ferris State University, she carried a message for her mother — written in marker across the top of her cap: "If you could see me now, you would be proud."
Lynette Jackson, a 1991 Ferris State College of Business graduate, died unexpectedly in her sleep from a heart attack Dec. 8, 2021. Kyla was a junior in high school at the time.
Four years later, her daughter graduated from the same university — in a field that mirrors the woman who raised her.
Kyla, originally from Chesaning, earned a degree in Allied Health Science. She plans to work as an autism aid at Autism of America and begin a health administration internship at the Corewell Health Big Rapids Hospital Walk-In Clinic.
The path to Ferris State began with Lynette. She encouraged Kyla — then weighing a Dental Hygiene program — to explore the Big Rapids campus and made that first visit along with her daughter.
"She actually took me on my first tour here, before she passed away," Kyla said. "It was really nice to get to experience Ferris with my mom, where she went to school."
When the time came to choose a college, Kyla had more than academics in mind.
"I wanted to go there and represent her and everything," she said. "I was going to leave my own mark on it."
She did. On campus, Kyla joined Phi Sigma Sigma and serves as vice president of recruitment for Ferris State's Panhellenic council.
Her shift away from Dental Hygiene was deliberate. Rather than hands-on clinical work, she gravitated toward health administration — scheduling, patient intake, and the coordination side of care. The parallel to her mother wasn't hard to see.
"She was always willing to help," Kyla recalled. "She was always volunteering at school, there for everyone, even if it wasn't her own kid. It couldn't have been drawn up any better."
With her father, two sisters and grandmother in the stands Saturday, Kyla said she felt Lynette's presence on the stage.
"I know she's right next to me, cheering me on and pushing me through," she said. "Even if I have hard times, I know she's there."