Surprise flowers, anyone?

Penn State alum Xzavier Jackson is harnessing the power of social media for good by initiating random acts of kindness around the school’s campus. His TikTok page, @XFeature, has gained a large number of views in a short amount of time.

Jackson, now 24, played basketball at Penn State Dubois for two years before transferring to the University Park campus. Along with some of his fellow teammates, he kickstarted a YouTube channel and was exposed to the world of editing.

He attended main campus for a short stint during the pandemic before finishing up his undergraduate career at Penn State Altoona. He entered the corporate world and moved up the ladder quickly.

With quick success came the opportunity to explore additional creative opportunities. In December 2022, Jackson created his own media company and began working with local businesses to create and edit content.

“Just from talking to them, I learned how I could create value for myself and then how I could help change and make an impact for the people around me,” Jackson said.

Jackson began making his way around Penn State’s campus and surprising people with flowers. His go-to maneuver was to ask students to hold a bouquet while he tied his shoe, after which he would walk away while telling them that the flowers were actually for them.

Jackson recruits a secret recorder to capture the reaction and then shares the response on social media.

Many people are shocked by the act of kindness and random nature of the deed. His TikTok page has already generated more than four million total views in the past three weeks and is continuing to gain popularity.

One of Jackson’s favorite reactions was his first and most viral video. After walking nervously around campus for hours, the girl he handed the flowers to could not have been more excited, and even responded by saying, “I love you!”

“It just boosted everyone’s energy because we’re doing it for two hours and don’t know what to do. And then we come across that, and it just boosted everyone’s spirits,” Jackson said.

Jackson has given away flowers, iPods, umbrellas, and more. He purchases all of the items from his own budget and would rather do giveaways and outreach events instead of being paid.

“I think the economy is hard for everybody,” he said. “It just gets more people involved with the local community, just trying to really kind of hone in on making a positive impact in general.”

When he isn’t sparking smiles around campus, Jackson is a manager for those with special needs. He oversees about 36 clients and has about 150 employees.

He comes to campus every chance he gets to try to get out in the community and create a chain of kindness around campus. Many have urged him to start giving the bouquets to men to see how they react, and Jackson is thrilled by the idea. He wants to do more for everyone and continue this initiative as long as he’s able.

Jackson’s mission showcases the power that a random act of kindness can have on an individual. By sharing the goodwill on social media, he hopes to inspire others to do the same.

“If you make one person smile a day, it will create a ripple effect in your life and someone else’s. If someone does something nice for me, even if I’m having a bad day, it boosts that outcome for you. What goes around comes around,” Jackson said.