Get to know our Alumni Spotlight: Lolita Jackson E‘89!

A woman who wears many hats, Lolita Jackson balances careers in environmental policy, engineering, and jazz singing.
 
Before arriving at Penn, Lolita received acclaim for playing the bass clarinet. Not wanting to pigeon-hole her future career by studying bass clarinet at a conservatory, she came to Penn to study engineering but promised herself she would continue to pursue music. Although she was unsure of her own singing abilities, she joined the Penn Gospel Choir, now known as New Spirit of Penn, and was swiftly recognized for her vocal prowess. As a first-year she sang a solo, from which she was scouted to become a member of Counterparts the following year. She continued on to perform Jesus Christ Superstar as a member of Quadramics and closed out her time at Penn as a Friar.
 
After graduating from Penn, Lolita began navigating careers in the office and on the stage. She currently works with a climate investment firm and was previously employed by the NYC mayor’s office. By night, she is the lead singer of Scottish band “The Lolita Jackson Group”, the latest in many jazz/funk bands she has participated in since graduating. Through her singing, Jackson has had the opportunity to perform at a Jazz club in Tokyo and several times at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She also serves as the Vice Chairperson for the Board of Trustees of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem.
 
Lolita is also deeply involved with the Penn community as an alum. She is on the advisory committee for the Platt Student Performing Arts House, is a senior advisor at Perry World House, and is an adjunct professor in the Masters of Environmental Studies program. She is also the Alumni Class President for the Class of 1989. Lolita has run several class reunions, notably the Class of 1989’s ten-year reunion, after which she and other Black alumni raised over 1 million dollars through DuBois College House to create a perpetually funded scholarship which gives $20,000 to four students every year.
 
Lolita encourages students who are interested in pursuing the arts, in addition to more traditional career paths, to go for it. She has found a surprising amount of cross pollination between her career and her artistry, as her most recent show with The Lolita Jackson Group in Glasgow was attended by her company’s CEO and other coworkers. At her previous position with Morgan Stanley, her shows became a space of congregation for the company, creating a seamless and fulfilling professional and artistic life. Lolita reminds us that the arts are important as they are a true space for self-expression.
 
This interview was conducted by NuAmen Audena, E’27.