Bianca Jackson

The completion of my role with U.S. Figure Skating’s DREAM Program aligned with the completion of my 8 years with Starlights Synchronized Skating Teams as I headed off to Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, to begin my collegiate studies. On Starlights, my teammates were some of my closest friends, so I immediately began seeking out that team environment on campus. I walked on to Dartmouth’s D1 Varsity Women’s Rowing Team as a coxswain and raced for the Big Green for all four years of college. Although perhaps a slightly different bunch to my Starlights teammates, my rowing teammates inspired me, challenged me, motivated me, and loved me just as my skating teammates had for so many years, providing me with a strong, supportive community on campus.

Beyond the rowing team, I devoted my time on campus to my engineering and economics studies, my sorority, and to exploring the beautiful upper valley of New Hampshire on hikes, trail runs, and while cross country skiing. I graduated from Dartmouth with a degree in engineering in June of 2015, and moved to New York City this past summer to begin my career at Morgan Stanley, working as an analyst in the firm’s Investment Banking Division. Although I have hung up my skates for the time being, I have developed a serious love of running. I ran my first marathon last Spring, qualifying me for the Boston Marathon, and then finished the New York City Marathon this past Fall with a time of 3:10. I hope to continue my training, keep getting faster, and perhaps run some international marathons one day!

While I miss my days on the ice, I now am able to live vicariously through my eleven year old sister, who won the Midwestern Championships with her Pre-Juvenile team this past January! I’ll always encourage her to choose her own path and to do what makes her happy; however, looking at pictures of her flashing her huge grin on the ice brings back so many happy memories, I am thrilled to watch her follow in my footsteps.

~Bianca