Tylischa Jackson is a junior cheerleader for UCA from North Little Rock, Arkansas.
Jackson has been a cheerleader for UCA for three years. However, her cheerleading career did not start here.
Jackson first began as a gymnast and wanted to incorporate her skills elsewhere. She started cheerleading in elementary school and officially became a school cheerleader in eighth grade.
Following eighth grade, Jackson began school at North Little Rock High School. Due to her outstanding cheerleading skills, she was placed on the varsity cheerleading team. Because of this, Jackson was able to compete in all four years of high school.
After high school, Jackson decided to try out for UCA cheerleading following a referral from a close friend.
“It definitely was an accomplishment, knowing that I had enough talent to make a collegiate cheerleading team,” Jackson said.
Jackson’s favorite sport to cheer for is football.
“The environment and crowd is such a fun experience to be around,” Jackson said. “It gets you pumped to cheer even more to the crowd and for our football team.”
Alongside cheering for UCA’s football team, another one of Jackson’s favorite parts about UCA cheer is competing on Bandshell, the National Cheer Association’s Collegiate Nationals. The competition is held annually in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In 2021, UCA’s cheer team placed third in the top three winner’s circle, which UCA had not seen since 2015.
“Hitting zero at Daytona last year on day two, [is] such an unforgettable moment that every cheerleader has to experience. There’s no better feeling,” Jackson said.
Jackson said that her proudest moments as a UCA cheerleader were going to cheer clinics with younger kids and seeing them happy and excited to be cheerleading.
“First of all, you know, they look up to us, so it’s kind of a blessing to be able to put a smile on other people’s faces, like knowing that they really wanna do something like this too,” Jackson said.
This upcoming cheer season, Jackson’s goals are to put a new skill on the mat, hit zero and overall make this year and routine a fun experience.
Jackson is pursuing an addiction studies and counseling degree. After graduating, Jackson plans on extending her education in Savannah, Georgia, and owning her own counseling center one day.
