An HBCU student tragically passed away over the weekend. North Carolina A&T senior Dorian Jackson passed away after saving his sister from a kayak that flipped over on Lake Norman in North Carolina.

Investigators say Jackson's sister capsized her kayak about 30 yards from a dock and began struggling in the water. She had on a life jacket; Jackson didn't when he went in to pull her to safety. Neighbors jumped in and helped get Jackson's sister safely to shore, but Jackson went under during the rescue attempt and never resurfaced. Multiple agencies responded to the scene to search for him, and his body was recovered Sunday afternoon.

Jackson, 21, was a third-generation senior at North Carolina A&T State University, where he was deeply involved on campus. He was a Chatham-White Scholar, served as executive treasurer of the Student Government Association for the 2025-26 school year, and was a member of the Beta Epsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. He studied marketing with a concentration in sales and had accepted a postgraduate job opportunity at Wells Fargo. Jackson was also the eldest of eight siblings, whom his family said he loved deeply.

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Several North Carolina A&T student organizations, led by the Student Government Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., alongside the Willie A. Deese College of Business and Economics and the Honors College, will hold a memorial service for Jackson on Thursday at 7:06 pm.

North Carolina A&T announced that counseling services are available to students, faculty and staff and that a Meal Train has also been set up to support the Jackson family.