Rarely will you see Nicole Jackson walking around without wearing the very thing that matters the most.

Her bright, signature smile.

Such was the case early Thursday morning when Jackson posted to her Facebook page a humorous, yet inspiring video of her alongside her son, LaDaveon, as the two extended well wishes to everyone in hopes they would have an enchanting and productive day.

“That’s why I do it,” Jackson, displaying her customary smile, told longtime journalist Andre Johnson. “People need happiness, and I’m always silly and happy, even when I don’t really want to be.”

To get a thorough understanding of why Jackson, a 34-year-old native Memphian, aspires daily to dress up wearing a smile, aspires daily to live on the larger side of her Creator, look no further than how she has spent a majority of young life just to earn the right to possess and savor what has emerged as a winning attitude.

For starters, Jackson grew up in arguably one of the most dangerous and crime-infested communities in inner city Memphis, the LeMoyne Gardens Housing projects, where a lack of education, brutal living conditions, and teenage pregnancies had become all too familiar.

Unfortunately for Jackson, like many her peers, she essentially had become a product of her environment, victimized by her surroundings, considering she ultimately had placed her education by the wayside.

Once a homeless teenager who had seemingly lost her identity and appeared headed for destruction on the brutally chaotic streets of South Memphis, Jackson was forced to drop out of high school at the tender age of 16, a development that, believe it or not, proved to her life’s defining moment.

Approximately two months removed from her disheartening, premature exit from grade school, Jackson thought it necessary to enroll at a nearby Job Corps facility. That was ultimately followed by her finding a place of her own, a rare occurrence for a black teenage girl in the inner city.

It wasn’t long after Jackson had bolted high school that she earned her General Equivalency Diploma (or G.E.D.), amassing an over score of 52, the highest tally ever assembled at that Job Corps facility.

From that point on, things began to hold up favorably for Jackson, although she had given birth to first child, Briuna, a few months after relocating from Memphis to Charlotte, North Carolina.

“My life changed again,” Jackson said of the birth of her firstborn. “She was the best thing that happened to me and her love helped me to dig deep into my emotions and write more.”

She hasn’t stopped writing since.

Today, Jackson has become a fixture throughout the Mid-South as one of the area’s finest and brightest authors, one who hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down any time soon.

What’s so astounding is that over a span of a little more than two years dating back to November 2013, Jackson — whose pen name Niki Jilvontae — has written an unprecedented 17 books, a trend that has given way to her being dubbed a national best-selling author.

Moreover, such a remarkable feat practically explains why even after enduring what at one point in time seemed a like a road headed for destruction, Jackson routinely walks around daily wearing the very thing that matters the most.

Her bright, signature smile.

“Through prayer and writing, I found that clarity and got back on track once again,” Jackson explained.

To her credit, she began to enhance not just her writing arsenal, but also her educational resume.

In 2010, for instance, Jackson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration from University of Phoenix because, as she tells it, she was “out to make life better for myself and my kids.”

In addition, she eventually “stumbled across” a publisher months after delving off into the word of authorship, and the rest, as they say, was history.

She hasn’t stopped writing since and, given the monumental strides she’s made within the past two-plus years, it’s safe to assume that perhaps, 17 books are only a sign of things to come.

Never mind that her father was murdered when she was four years old amid a gang-related activity in Saginaw, Michigan.

Never mind that her son was diagnosed with autism two years after she obtained her college degree.

Never mind that she subsequently was diagnosed with Lupus and Type 2 diabetes.

Never mind that according to her, “things got hard again” and that “I struggled for two years trying to find a way to help my child and restore my physical and spiritual health.”

Today, more than ever before, one would be hard-pressed to recognize the shortcomings that often surface in the life of Jackson and her family, all because, well, she’s guilty of walking around daily wearing the very thing that matters the most.

Her bright, signature smile.

Currently, she is the founder and chief executive officer of Pen Hustlas Publications, an internet radio show and, according to her, more business ventures are presently in the works.

“A Broken Girl’s Journey” series, “A Long Way From Home,” “M.E.M.P.H.I.S.,” “Twisted Faith Of A Side B**** Memphis,” “The Mitches” series, “The My B****” series, “Sins of Thy Mother” series, and “On the Run: The Legend of Mercy and Mayhem,” among others, are just a few of her published works.

The list goes on and on.

A list that, to everyone’s surprise, is a little more than two years old.

“Every book that I write is laced with at least 50 percent truth and 50 percent imagination,” Jackson said. “So I’m able to share my life, my dreams, my fears, my weaknesses, my hopes, and my dreams with others without them judging and in a way that relates to their lives.

“I love to help and give back to others, because I’ve needed help often and I knew how good it feels to know that someone else in the world loves and believes in you,” Jackson continued. “That’s why I treat my authors exactly the way I wanted to be treated as an author signed to a company. Being able to connect with, inspire, and love on other people is what I love about the book business and I wouldn’t trade my job for anything in the world.”

A world that once appeared on a downward spiral, a world that once seemed headed for destruction.

Look at her now, walking around here wearing the very thing that matters the most.

Her bright, signature smile.

 

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EDITOR’S NOTE: If you are an entrepreneur, business owner, producer, author, musician, barber, life coach, motivational speaker, cosmetologist, tax preparer, model, athlete, or pastor/minister who is seeking exposure and would like to share your story with an in-depth news feature, call Reporter Andre Johnson at 901-690-6587 or Facebook message him under “Andre T. Johnson” for details.

Andre Johnson is a senior writer for MemphiSport. A 2000 graduate of the University of Memphis School of Journalism, Johnson covers the NBA Southwest Division from Dallas, Texas. To reach Johnson, send an email to memphi[email protected]. Also, follow him on Twitter @AJ_Journalist.