So I am introducing the lovely, spunky, and inspiring Miss Jennifer Jones. She is the current Assistant Director of Transfer and Adult Admissions here at Roosevelt. She received her Bachelor’s in Music Business from Columbia. She received her Master’s in Business and Non- Profit Management certificate from Roosevelt. Along with those degrees Ms. Jones also has a Paralegal certificate from Loyola and a Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Keller University.
Based on Previous conversations I have had with Ms. Jones I had always wanted to ask her was she a feminist.
“I do believe in women’s rights and the fight for equality but I also believe that each sex has their specific roles and functions within society. So no I am not a Feminist.”
How did you find yourself working for the school you graduated from?
Jokingly she said, “I received a phone call but I also applied.”
What were you doing before Roosevelt and what made you leave?
“I was an adjunct professor at Harry S. Truman College in Chicago teaching Business courses. I decided to leave because it was time do something new; it was time for a new landscape.”
What makes Roosevelt so special?
“What makes Roosevelt so special is that it has an authentic mission to diversity and that has been shown throughout its history. In deciding to transfer to RU from Columbia I was seeing students who looked like me and I also wasn’t learning anything different before I decided to transfer schools. When I made the decision to work here I still believed in the mission and knew the quality education that the students I would work with would be receiving.”
So do you love your job?
“I like my job, but I LOVE my students. They make doing my job easier.”
When you here Jennifer jones’ name being said around campus it’s usually followed by the statement “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her”. That is the main reason I decided to write about her and give her her flowers now. She does such a great job with students that I believe it should be recognized.
When I came to do the interview she scolded me (lovingly of course) for coming just before she was getting ready to leave for home.
Since you are in such a rush, what exactly are you rushing home to do?
“Well I’m going to go home and take my dog for long walk, which he doesn’t normally get. I live over in Auburn Greshem. Some might call it a South-Side beauty.”
When you’re not at work what can we normally find you doing?
“I enjoy making interesting dishes and cocktails. For example I make a Grown Folks Long Island Iced Tea with a natural cola, lemon grass simple syrup, and top shelf white liquor. If I’m not the chef for the night then I am going with my best friend to a concept kitchen.
I take it that you like creating things with your hands and being creative when it comes to food, is that a passion of yours?
“Yes, I love to cook. I started my garden this year. It has tomatoes, basil, string beans, Broccoli and marigolds, just to name a few.
I noticed that you have a bachelors in Music Business, when are we going to hear about your record company gaining its IPO like Luscious on Empire?
“I actually don’t do the music thing anymore but I still DJ. The last time I DJ’d was for my best friend’s house warming. I will always love music seeing as though I and my siblings took private lessons for several different instruments. If I had to make a master playlist of my top five favorite songs they would be 1.Altered State by Ron Trent, 2.Stuck by Pevin Everett, 3.Dance by The 3 Winans featuring the Clark Sisters, 4.Stay Free by Ashford and Simpson, and 5.Nights by Billy Ocean. It’s probably clear that I am a House Head (house is a specific genre of music.)
As you can tell she is a grown woman who listens to grown folks music. She jokingly called herself a DJ for Grown Folks only. She told me she happened to come across the IHeart Radio concert and had NO clue who Demi Lavato was. I begin to explain how she started on Disney channel and she smoothly cut me off by saying “I don’t know any of these Disney Children.
Ms. Jones, you often have on stylish shoes and snazzy socks, would you say you are into fashion?
“Style yes. Excess No. My mother used to tell me and my siblings that we always had what we needed. It is something that has stuck with me throughout my life and is how I try to live on a daily basis. So would I like to buy everything I saw, of course, but I buy out of necessity.
Ms. Jennifer Jones is one of Roosevelt’s secret weapons. She brings in many students who have great potential and works with them until they graduate. She has personally touched my life and many others. Celebrities are often those who we see on TVs or hear on Radios, but they are also the ones who make impacts in daily lives that go unnoticed or unrecognized. Her Campus at Roosevelt wants to put Ms. Jones on notice that we noticed HER.