Hello! I'm Jackson McKain, a senior at Kansas State University pursuing a dual degree in Biology and Secondary Education. I originally hail from a few miles outside of Salina, KS (essentially in the middle of nowhere), and graduated from the tiny, rural Ell-Saline High School.
I am passionate about many things, but none more than Scouting. I attained the rank of Eagle Scout in December of 2013, and have been a huge supporter of our local council (Coronado Area Council) as a summer camp staff member for the past four years. Serving as a staff member is an exceptional experience for a future secondary educator, as our campers were ages 11 - 17 and we taught various merit badges classes. As the Ecology Director for our camp, I taught many intriguing, science-focused merit badges such as Reptile and Amphibian Study and Astronomy. We also allowed our camp attendees to observe some of the wildlife present on our reservation. On our nature trails and throughout camp, we saw numerous species of birds, deer, snakes, toads, and the occasional raccoon or skunk. We were fortunate last summer ('17) to find not one, but two pregnant snakes. One was a near-5 foot bull snake who laid 7 eggs and the other was a 3 foot green racer who managed to lay a whopping 19 eggs. Only one of the snakes laid her eggs during the daytime, but it was stunning for our campers and myself to observe this process in person. As far as my personal life goes, I'm what most of you would consider a "nerd." I love playing all sorts of video, card, board, and tabletop games. I geek out about Pokemon, am a huge nerd when it comes to Magic: the Gathering, am a want-to-be expert at Super Smash Bros, and I'll talk and debate about science and other topics all day. Perhaps the only thing I love more than these things (barring family and dogs) is K-State Athletics. Seriously, you can find me at every home football and basketball game K-State plays this year. I guess you could say I "nerd" out about that, too. |