Real Story: John Jones
John Jones
Â鶹ֱ²¥ Class of 2013, Mathematics and Sciences
Accolades, Accomplishments, and Highlights: Bachelor of Science in Biology from Bowie State University; Master of Science in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University
Current Job Title: Technical Lab Supervisor
Current Institution: Doctoral student at Howard University
I was 27 when I came home to Waldorf to take care of my family after my dad was diagnosed with kidney disease.
One of the things he really wanted me to do when I came back was to continue my education. I'd been saying since I was 8 that I really wanted to be a scientist, and he told me, “I know you're here to take care of me; you're here because your mom and I need it. But I need you to go back to school.”
Shortly after I enrolled at Â鶹ֱ²¥, my father's condition started to worsen. “I need you to continue to not quit,” he told me, and I could hear his words in my ears when he passed away the first day of my next-to-last semester. That very next morning, I made it to class for him.
Throughout that whole time after he passed away, Â鶹ֱ²¥ did a great job of taking care of me, not just as a student, but as a person. It's the most supportive environment I've experienced. People at Â鶹ֱ²¥ cared more about me than anywhere else I've been.
After I graduated from Â鶹ֱ²¥, I got my bachelor's in biology and my master's in biotechnology, and this fall I'm starting a Ph.D. program at Howard University. I've done a lot of things, I've been a lot of places, and none of it would have been possible if I hadn't restarted my education at Â鶹ֱ²¥.
Â鶹ֱ²¥ enabled me to progress financially and improve my family's financial status. I'm married, with two kids, and we just bought our first house. All the things I've been able to do and accomplish—they all started traveling down Mitchell Road.
Regardless of your end goal, if you have the opportunity to attend Â鶹ֱ²¥, do it. It's somewhere you can be nurtured, taught, and shepherded to whatever your long-term goals are.
Last updated: 6-29-22