Editor’s Note: Adam Camarena is a student in the journalism program at California State University, Sacramento. Camarena is being taught by Phillip Reese, a professional journalist and an assistant professor at CSUS. For more information about the CSUS journalism program, visit fb.me/sacstatejournalism.

GALT, CA (MPG) - A pair of clippers was the turning point in transforming a local barber’s life as he battled years of homelessness and used his struggles to provide for the city he loved.

Mark Jackson, the owner of Next Generation Barbershop on C Street in Galt, has been cutting hair for 10 years and opened the shop almost four years ago. Since then, he’s made it a mission to be more than a barber and use haircuts as a way of giving back to the community. 

As a Galt native and Galt High School (GHS) graduate in 2002, Jackson grew to love the community and now uses his platform as a barber in the city to give free haircuts and help fund GHS events. 

“I like to give back to my community,” Jackson said. “My community takes care of me, so I like to take care of them.”

He also helped GHS graduates like A.J. Magat and Braiyan Cortez become apprentices at the shop and taught them how to be engaged members of the community.

“I went to school with their dads. The roots here are very deep,” Jackson said. “I like hiring kids that come from this town.”

Magat has worked at Next Generation Barbershop for two years and said Jackson has helped in many more ways than just teaching him to cut hair. 

“Being a barber is not only just about grabbing the clippers or scissors and cutting hair. It’s the person behind it who does more than just cut hair for the community,” Magat said. “We’re like family. He’s taught me how to run a barbershop and be a better person with more leadership.”

Cortez also works with Jackson and has cut hair at Next Generation for nearly two years. He said Jackson is someone who positively impacts the community. Cortez has learned a lot personally since joining the team.

“The main thing he’s taught me is to have integrity because you always want to make sure you’re doing the right thing when no one is looking,” Cortez said. “He’s helpful. He’s willing to help anyone with any kind of donation, sponsor, fundraiser, and on top of that his haircuts are quality.”

Jackson initially joined the Navy out of high school and said he didn’t want to cut hair, but finding a pair of clippers while in a tough part of life sparked his passion and helped him get back on his feet after a couple of years of being homeless.

“I was homeless when I actually figured it out,” Jackson said. “I was strung out on drugs, and I was at a trap house, but I found a pair of clippers and it was just kind of like my ‘God’ moment.”

He said after that moment, the Department of Veterans Affairs helped him get into a homeless shelter through a transitional living house and he got clean.

“It was a messed-up part of my life. I kind of get choked up about it because, through all the negativity, starting from the bottom and getting to where I am now, there was a lot of help for me,” Jackson said.

After receiving help, Jackson focused on becoming the best barber he could and returned to Galt to set up shop. 

“I’ve been all the way around the world, but this is home,” Jackson said. “This is where my people are, where I have roots and where I had friends. Now I’m back and I’m cutting for that next generation.”

He’s seen clients who frequently come back because of the homelike environment he provides at the shop, even offering drinks to those who sit in his chair.

“There’s real homie vibes in there,” customer Trevor Denier said. “It’s very relaxed. I don’t feel pressure going in there.”

Denier has gotten his haircut from Jackson for nearly two years and has come to learn about the impact Jackson makes on the community through his fundraisers, sponsorships and events in Galt. 

“Not everyone knows about everything that happens in this town,” Denier said. “It’s a different type of service that can go unnoticed. He’s the type of person who can mix being professional and personable and it makes me want to go back.”

Jackson also set up an organization called the St. Martin Foundation where he raises funds through events like spaghetti dinners to help people who are homeless get off the streets through transitional housing.

“I’m helping men that are coming out of rehab and coming off the bottom,” Jackson said. “There’s a way back, and if they allow me to show them how I did it, maybe they can rewrite their story and find themselves in the process.”

To Jackson, there’s more to it than just being a barber. He said he uses his platform to help as many people as possible. 

“I feel like there’s a bigger purpose in life and sharing my story from behind the chair is kind of like my higher purpose,” Jackson said. H