Immediately following Catholic Law's 135th Commencement Ceremony on May 17, Jenifer Jackson '24 was commissioned as an officer with the U.S. Coast Guard JAG in the Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom.

LT Elizabeth Ulan '19 was the master of ceremony for the commissioning. Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Coast Guard, Calvin Lederer, performed the Commissioning and her Oath of Office. Jenifer's father, Lonnie Ballard, and Chief Warrant Officer Zarella Butler attached her shoulder boards, while her husband, Cole Jackson, implemented the cover swap.

Following the swearing in, Chief Petty Officer Dusti Streibeck presented the newly commissioned Lieutenant Jackson with her first salute. The ceremony closed with Jenifer thanking everyone for attending and supporting her during her time in law school.

Jenifer shared, “I am so grateful for my time in the Coast Guard and at Catholic Law. This has been an incredible journey and I could not have done it without my amazing husband, family, friends, and the Catholic Law professors, faculty, and staff. I am looking forward to my future serving as Trial Counsel with the Coast Guard’s Office of the Chief Prosecutor.”

Jenifer Jackson enlisted in the Coast Guard in 2010 and performed human resources related work as a Yeoman until being selected to attend law school under the Coast Guard’s funded legal program. In 2022 and 2023, she also served as an intern in the Coast Guard's Office of Information and Intelligence Law, followed by an internship with the Office of Military Justice. During her latter internship, she focused on appellate work and also worked with LT Ulan. Jenifer is a graduate of the Texas Woman's University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA, Human Resources Management).