Giorgio Jackson

Giorgio Jackson Drago
File:Kenneth Giorgio Jackson Drago.jpg Giorgio Jackson in 2014
Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Santiago district
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 March 2014
Preceded by	Felipe Harboe
President of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Student Federation
In office 26 November 2010 – 25 November 2011
Preceded by	Joaquín Walker
Succeeded by	Noam Titelman
Personal details
Born	Kenneth Giorgio Jackson Drago (1987-02-06) February 6, 1987 Viña del Mar, Chile
Nationality	Chilean
Political party	Independent
Other political affiliations	Revolución Democrática Nueva Acción Universitaria
Residence	Santiago, Chile
Alma mater	Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Occupation	Industrial engineer
Website	giorgiojackson.cl

Kenneth Giorgio Jackson Drago (born 6 February 1987) is a Chilean industrial engineer, former student leader and politician.

He was the president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Student Federation (FEUC) for the 2010–11 term. During his term, he became one of the leaders of the student movement, as the spokesman of the Student Confederation of Chile (CONFECH). Jackson was elected as a deputy in the 2013 elections.

Biography

Giorgio Jackson was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, on 6 February 1987. He studied at Deutsche Schule Sankt Thomas Morus, a private school located in the Santiago commune of Providencia. He became a volunteer of Un Techo para Chile as he was studying in eleventh grade; he was involved with Un Techo para Chile for six years. He also played volleyball, becoming a member of the national team member for the 2004 Minors, and 2006 Youth categories.

Student leader

File:FEUC 2010-2011.jpg

Jackson with the other members of the FEUC directive board of 2010–11.

Jackson Drago completed his secondary studies in 2004, and was admitted to the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, as a student of civil industrial engineering, majoring in information technologies. In 2008, he joined Nueva Acción Universitaria (New University Action, NAU), a student center-left movement. Later, Jackson participated in the creation of the UC Students' and Workers' Center, and worked in the organization as its general coordinator between 2009 and 2010. He also participated in the development committees for the Propedéutico UC proposal, for the access of students from low-income families, and in the negotiation against the rise of fees in 2009.

In November 2010, Jackson was elected as the NAU candidate for the FEUC presidential elections. NAU obtained 33.9% of votes in the first round of elections, running against the Gremialista Movement (24.5%) in a runoff. NAU eventually obtained 51.6% of votes in the runoff, with Jackson resulting elected as president.

2011 student movement

File:Giorgio Jackson marchando.jpg

Jackson in a student march.

Main article: 2011–13 Chilean student protests

As the president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Student Federation, Jackson was one of the main leaders of the student movement in 2011, along with Camila Vallejo (president of the University of Chile Student Federation), and Camilo Ballesteros (president of the University of Santiago de Chile Student Federation). In his role as spokesman of the Student Confederation of Chile (CONFECH), Jackson was very critical of the proposales made by the government of President Sebastián Piñera, although he was one of the most moderate leaders.

Jackson was part of several official meetings, including one before the Education Commission of the Senate of Chile, where he qualified as a "moral obligation that the State warrantees rights and not consumer goods" ("un mperativo moral que el Estado sea garante de derechos y no de bienes de consumo"). He also visited Europe, along with Camila Vallejo and Francisco Figueroa, where they exposed before the UNESCO, and met with intellectuals Stéphane Hessel and Edgar Morin.

He is reportedly one of the leaders with best rates of approval, reaching a 73 per cent.

Political career

Jackson avoided referring to a possible political career during his leadership of the FEUC in 2011, stating that such a thing was not in his immediate plans. However, he announced the creation of a left-wing political movement called Revolución Democrática (Democratic Revolution) on 7 January 2012. In December 2012 he announced he would run for deputy of Santiago in the parliamentary election of 2013. Although he is running as an independent candidate, he is supported by the member parties of the Nueva Mayoría (successor of the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia), who decided not to postulate candidates for the district.

External links

• Giorgio Jackson on Twitter
• Official website