Jackson Knope is on his way to making the community a better place one podcast at a time. He is currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois Springfield and is a communication major with a political science minor. Not only is Jackson a friendly face around campus, but he is also very active in student organizations. He is a CAP Honors mentor, member of the Resident Housing Association, orientation leader, and student worker for UIS television production.

Even though Jackson is a full-time student and involved in numerous organizations, he still finds time to make a positive impact on the campus and its surrounding communities. Jackson is the creator of The Pursuit of Happiness Podcast w/ Jackson Knope. He began his podcast September 2018 with just a laptop, a microphone and an idea. When asked about the reason he started his podcast, he stated, “I wanted to bring something positive into a harsh world. The worst thing in life is the lack of understanding that everyone is different and I wanted to show that everyone is special in their own way.” The overall goal of Jackson’s podcast is to spread happiness to those struggling to find their purpose in life.

The content of the podcast includes interviews from various people explaining what brings them joy. Jackson keeps his interviews light-hearted and relaxed because his intended audience is college students. Often times, Jackson is sipping on his favorite drink -diet coke -when discussing his guests’ childhood or relationships with others. The podcast’s most popular episode features a conversation between Jackson and his childhood best friend. The two of them talk about the series of events that brought them closer together as friends. Jackson gave his outlook on life in his podcast, “People need to take chances in life because it’s short. Worst case scenario, you make a mistake.” Overall, Jackson uses his podcast as a platform to motivate his listeners to seek joy in their lives and share their happiness with others.

Ever since Jackson started his podcast a little over a year ago, the podcast’s popularity has grown. Full podcasts -all 26 of them -can be found on Soundcloud and iTunes by searching The Pursuit of Happiness Podcast w/ Jackson Knope. The podcast’s Instagram-@pursuitofhappinesspodcast -features his guest stars and upcoming projects. Jackson will continue to upload new podcasts throughout this year, as he has big plans for the future. Jackson says that he “… will continue [his] podcast as long as it remains good and serves a purpose to its listeners.”