Gifft Hill School 11th-grader Jackson Barry was off to Iowa in October to participate in the World Food Prize, an annual conference in Des Moines that recognizes the efforts of people to help alleviate hunger. His paper on possible solutions to hunger in Ethiopia gave him the chance to present his paper to a group of scientists and students.

“I learned a lot about world hunger and the issues my generation faces, as well as the potential we have to solve these problems,” Barry said.

The 16-year-old said Ethiopia has a lot of droughts, which calls for better water management techniques. Barry suggested that the use of genetically modified crops could help solve food shortages and that the government financial subsidies would fund the start up of small farms.

Barry said that living on St. John, which suffers occasional droughts, gave him a better understanding of the Ethiopian hunger situation.

While he’s still too young to decide which direction his career will take, he plans to go to college to study business.

“My dream job is to be a marketing manager,” Barry said, adding that in this position he’d have to come with ideas to sell products.

He said that his career could encompass issues such as the ones addressed at the World Food Prize.

According to Barry, his participation at the conference will look great on his resume and college application. He’s not sure where he wants to go to college, but said it will probably be somewhere on the East Coast.

Born in Rochester, N.Y., to St. John-based parents, Barry has spent his entire life on St. John. He went to school through third grade at St. John Christian Academy, moving to Gifft Hill in the fourth grade.

Barry said he likes Gifft Hill because he gets a lot of “face time” with the teachers and, because the school is small enough, he knows everyone at the school. He also said Gifft Hill doesn’t have cliques like other schools do so there are no distractions on that front.

Barry likes to play sports, saying soccer is his favorite, and last year he served as the team’s leader and was named the most valuable player. Alas, there aren’t enough students interested in soccer this year so he can’t play. However, he said he also likes to swim, play golf, surf, play football and water ski.

Barry said he water skis in the Adirondack Mountains at Brantingham Lake, where the family spends summers.

When he’s not busy with all sports and school, he said he likes to hang out with his girlfriend, Savanna Morrisette.

Barry said he likes St. John because its small size means he can go out with friends without his parents worrying about him.

“It’s a good place for someone my age,” he said.

His parents are Barbie and Michael Barry, who own the newly opened Virgin Fire Restaurant and Sun Dog Café. Barry said he works a Sunday shift at Sun Dog.

His parents are proud of Barry’s accomplishments.

“He’s a wonderful human being and I’m very proud of how he’s turning into a fine young man,” Barbie Barry said.