Occupational Safety and Health Management Major Jackson Davis Gears Up for Career After Graduation

08/07/2025

By Brett Buckner 

Jackson Davis has always had his sights set on the future. While his career focus has shifted a few times during his four years at Jax State, with commencement set for August 8, the 22-year-old occupational safety and health management major is more than ready for the real world.    

“I feel really good, really excited,” Davis said. “This is the final step into the future that I’ve been working so hard toward.”   

Jackson got a head start on his career by interning with Georgia-Pacific as an environmental health and safety intern over the past two summers, first in Kansas City, Mo., and this year in Hattiesburg, Miss. “I’m learning exactly how to take my real-world experience and college experience and put them together to become the best safety person I can as soon as possible,” he said.   

With both parents being teachers, Davis was “born with that teacher gene.” He initially enrolled at Jax State as an Integrated studies major and considered majoring in secondary mathematical education. However, he later decided to shift to the engineering program, first studying manufacturing management, before moving into design and automation, “which I really loved,” Davis said. “But then I realized that I’m really a people person, and I wanted to do something that allowed me to impact people’s lives, while also succeeding in something that I enjoyed and was challenged by.”  

That was when Davis enrolled in a major-required occupational safety class offered by the Department of Applied Engineering in the College of Business and Industry. “I didn't know this class existed before I took it,” he said. “Within the first couple of weeks of being in that class, I called my mom and was like, ‘This class is really interesting.’ That’s pretty much when I knew, yeah, this is it.”  

While Davis’s focus has been in general industry, the variety of career opportunities in occupational safety was a deciding factor in his choice to major in the field. “I like to continuously learn,” he said. “I don't like to just study one aspect. I like to study everything. With this, I can really see myself making an impact, which is something that I've longed to do, and I get to use all kinds of skills that you would never think of using.”  

Davis credits his “amazing professors” at Jax State with providing him with the tools to succeed. “They all have real-world experience and use those personal experiences to teach their class,” he said. “That helps us grasp information more easily.”  

But it wasn’t just in the classroom where Davis prepared for his future. He was also very active in various campus activities and organizations. During his time Davis served for three years as resident assistant for freshman and upper classmen, was the Applied Engineering Ambassador for the Department of Applied Engineering for three years, served as committee head of Campus Life for Student Senate, was secretary of the Jax State chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals, and pro-tempore of the senate for the Alabama YMCA Collegiate Legislators.   

“All of these things help you grow as a person by finding things that you actually are passionate about,” he said. “That’s what college is all about. Everyone’s got a story about why they would do what they do. You just have to find that path.”  

With his internship complete, Davis is hoping to receive a full-time offer from Georgia-Pacific within its Environmental Leadership Program, a six- to 18-month position used to develop early safety professionals. “It's kind of like an entry-level position, but for safety,” Davis said. “If it all works out, I’ll probably be going to the Savannah River Mill facility [in Rincon, Ga.], where they make consumer products, which is really exciting. It would be a great start to my career in safety.”  

To learn more about Jax State’s Occupational Safety and Health Management program, visit the program’s website.