Brenda Jones
Brenda Jones was a first-generation and non-traditional college student that had first-hand experience of the challenges and barriers students face along the educational journey. Early on, Brenda put her career on hold while she was a stay-at-home mom focused on raising her family but decided to return to school later in life to pursue her passion, working with students. Brenda earned her bachelor’s degree from Austin Peay State University in English and Creative Writing and a master’s degree from University of West Alabama in Student Affairs and Higher Education where she earned the Outstanding Student of the Year. She has been a teacher/instructor, counselor, and educational mentor since 2010. She has dedicated her life to working with at-risk students, finding ways to remove barriers keeping them from being successful. She has served as a teacher in the K-12 setting in reading and language arts before shifting to guidance counseling and ultimately landed in higher education. She currently serves as an Academic Support Coordinator at a university where she is passionate about creating first-year student programming that builds individuals and campus communities. Brenda uses humor to create positive and humanized bonds with students while having a growth mindset with a focus on thinking beyond the standard. Her favorite quote is by Eleanor Roosevelt, “Small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, great minds discuss ideas.”
