Jackson, Mississippi. The city with soul, filled with art and history, the city many students come to in hopes of having a fun college experience. Unfortunately, the lack of reliable infrastructure, reliable jobs, and even reliable drinking water has driven many students out of Jackson once they complete college. With over 18,000 students (via US News and UMC.EDU links, not sure how to cite all of those) in the area, it is underwhelming to see fifty percent of students leave within three years of obtaining a degree (Office of the State Auditor). Cultivating a vibrant city filled with opportunity in Jackson will keep students after graduation and improve the workforce in the capitol city. Many of the shortcomings Jackson encounters are due to lacking a workforce interested in upholding the city as something more promising. 

Many Mississippi residents are concerned that their tax dollars are funding large schools, just to see the graduates leave. A project called NextGen created by the prevalent news outlet, Mississippi Today, seeks to investigate why people leave the state after graduating. An overwhelming majority share the same reasons: a lack of opportunity, and a lack of high-paying jobs. Therefore, the first thing on lawmaker’s agenda should be to increase both of these. Education is a fundamental aspect of creating jobs, and it seems that Jackson has no overall issue attracting students, yet keeping them poses an imminent issue. Perhaps, increasing the statewide minimum wage could create more competitive, higher-paying jobs in different fields and allow people to find jobs they enjoy in Jackson. Though it could be argued that a majority of post-graduate jobs do pay higher than minimum wage, a domino effect would likely cause those jobs to also up the pay. Having an engineering job paying $15 an hour is a lot less glamorous if the minimum wage was also at $15, causing those firms to have to increase the pay to maintain their workers. Tax dollars may as well be put in the shredder to some viewing the current state of Mississippi college students, but they could be worth much more if a workforce was maintained. It goes without saying that these workers would be contributing to the economy and could help lower tax rates if more people were contributing to the tax pot. 

Getting an increase in minimum wage might be the easy part for some, in comparison to increasing opportunities in Jackson. After all, many companies have to be on board with developing jobs or building plants in the city. This is where the lack of infrastructure plays a crucial role. Holding government officials accountable for keeping up with city regulations and maintaining a trustworthy supply of basic human needs, like water, is very imperative. The DOT leaves the roads in Jackson in disarray, with the citizens hoping their cars are sturdy enough to survive another pothole. There is a massive lack of sidewalks providing people without access to transportation left to the unreliable Jackson Transportation system. Moreover, the boil water notices seem to come so often that those with reliable water access are skeptical to even touch it. Further, there seems to be a myth that crime runs rampant in Jackson despite the massive crackdowns by police. Unfortunately, the police seem more interested in growing their power in low-income neighborhoods and creating a new court system that will underrepresent many (Hall). It then, is no surprise that crime is an issue in the state if there are no real rehabilitation processes for those going through the legal system. Addressing all of the very real issues that officials in Jackson seem to sweep under the rug could be a turning point in the interest companies have to establish themselves in the city. 

If opportunity and pay see increases, there is yet another part of the puzzle to keeping students in Jackson. The city has such a rich history filled with culture and still lacks what residents seek. Fun. While some events are held at local shops or publicly funded locations such as Jackson’s Museum of Natural Science, these are often geared at younger children or older residents. The city should seek to host events that college-aged students would find joy in. For example, many students find enjoyment in music, so hosting more concerts could keep them participating in city life. Or, utilizing the Jackson Convention Center more often to hold gatherings geared toward a college-aged demographic may also be helpful. Regardless of the types of events being held, Jackson must give the residents it is hoping to keep some sense of enjoyment and incentive to stay in the city, outside of merely expanding opportunities. 

As a student in college when I look at my future plans, Jackson unfortunately is not a part of them. The city with soul has so many chances for improvement but does not hold these as highly important. I would love to stay and see the city grow with new job opportunities and stay close to the people I have developed connections with, but they also seek to leave Jackson at the next chance they get. The problems Jackson has are almost circular. They lack improvement because they lack the workforce, yet the workforce is small because the improvements they take are small. However, the workforce cannot grow until the city puts effort into fixing the issues they do have. Jackson officials have such a high incentive to increase the minimum wage, solve infrastructure issues, and create an entertaining city, but do not truly understand it. It is time for students to take action and demand that Jackson support them by developing the city to flourish rather than crumble. Rather than blame the issues in Jackson on students leaving, the voice of the students must be heard, when we say that we are leaving because of the issues.