Freshman Brings Leadership Skills and
Experience to College

McCombs freshman Alisha Jones has a career goal that may surprise some—to own an NBA team. “Women and minorities are rare on the business side of sports,” she says. “Breaking down boundaries and opening doors would be great.”

The Houston native decided to attend The University of Texas at Austin when she visited campus for a field trip in eighth grade. Every year thereafter, she participated in a UT Austin summer program, including Camp College and Honors Colloquium. “Every time I came here I had fun,” she says. “The atmosphere was nice and everyone was friendly.”

Jones, who was named one of the nation’s top black high school seniors by Ebony magazine this past summer, chose the McCombs School undergraduate program because of its impressive national ranking, which appeals to her competitive nature.

“As I evaluated myself and what was important to me, I realized I am very business-oriented,” she says. “I played sports all of my life, and I like to win.” Jones is leaning toward applying for the Business Honors Program because of its broad business overview. She’s interested in management, but acknowledges this may change as her education progresses.

Ambitious since childhood, Jones’ list of high school accomplishments is extensive. In addition to numerous leadership and volunteer activities outside school, Jones played volleyball, basketball and tennis, and was senior class president and student council president at James Madison High School in Houston. Despite this full schedule, she was also her graduating class’ salutatorian.

“As senior class president, I learned that you can’t please everyone,” she says, adding that the position taught her how to incorporate the needs of 483 senior students into her plans rather than be a “dictator.”

An inclination to leadership started early for Jones, whose father passed away when she was 12 years old. “That was a turning point for my maturity,” she remembers. “I stopped taking things for granted.”

She credits her family’s support for much of her success. “I wasn’t sheltered and my parents didn’t try to live their lives through me,” she says. “I was encouraged to be independent and try various activities to see what I liked.” Jones is the first member of her immediate family to attend college, so her venture to UT Austin is novel for all of them.

Though she has just completed her first semester at the university, Jones says her experience has been positive and socially promising. “There are 50,000 students here, but I see a familiar face almost everywhere I go,” she says. “I’m still trying to get the hang of the whole school thing, though—how teachers teach, and adjusting to classes and time management.”

In her rare spare time, Jones enjoys reading and acting because of their escapist qualities. She also likes to write down her goals so she doesn’t “get off track.” One of these goals is to obtain an MBA after completing her undergraduate business degree. The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor also says she likes to “help people and give back,” which she hopes to incorporate into a future business plan.

For now, Jones has a “leadership itch” she’s ready to fulfill at UT Austin. It seems she hasn’t even scratched the surface.

—Chantelle Wallace