A Stop on Memory Lane  

     

Knowing that Mr. Peyton had taught the Pusch Ridge class of 2004, I asked him if he had known a student named Whitney. Although I was unsure of her maiden name, he quickly smiled and exclaimed, “Whitney Egerton. I called her Wedge. She really stood out.”

Whitney (Egerton) Jackson was a member of the first graduating class of Pusch Ridge Christian Academy, attending all four years at the high school. Previously, it had been Palo Verde Christian High School.

Whitney attended during the rebuilding period and is fondly remembered 19 years later. Not only do her teachers remember her, but she also spoke with a sweetness in her voice, thinking back on her years as their student. She communicated how knowledgeable her teachers were and she wishes that she had asked them more questions. When asked what she wishes she could change about high school she said, “I wouldn’t change anything if I could go back, but I wish I had delved in more and worked a little harder, not just get by.”

Whitney attended two years at Pima Community College before going to flight school and pursuing aviation. She expressed that she was late blooming in buckling down and finding the course she wanted to take after high school. She encourages high schoolers to push aside the outside influences and know that it’s okay to not have your whole life figured out by graduation.

Whitney grew up in private school. Her family faithfully attended church and her mother was known as a “prayer warrior.” However, she mentioned that although she had always known the gospel, she hadn’t truly made it personal until around the time she went to college. Through exposure to a new environment and phases in life, her faith greatly matured.     

She remarked, “I never understood what it meant that my mother was a prayer warrior until having my own kids and realizing that praying is all you can do.” Whitney desires to raise her children in the church and a private school, just as her parents had done with her and her sister. She mentioned she would place her two sons in private school without question and the third, due in June, when the time comes.

Whitney and her husband hope to help build for their children a Christ-centered foundation where they can learn to eventually make their own decisions.

Now, Whitney fills her time raising her two young boys and encouraging women at the Crisis Pregnancy Center. Her passion for women in this situation grew after her first son was born. She enjoys helping struggling women and said, “Once I go in there, it’s like a breath of fresh air.” She said it has been eye opening, building her faith, and she looks forward to becoming an advocate for the center.

Throughout her interview, Whitney emphasized standing firm in faith and trusting God for the future. She concluded with, “He has a plan even when you don’t see it.”