A’dja attended Missouri State as an undergraduate and graduated with her bachelor’s from the university in 2011. For her, MSU was the perfect place to stick around and get a Master’s in Student Affairs in Higher Education. Upon graduating from that program in 2014 she began work as an Academic Counselor in the Athletics Department here at MO State!

Where did this Bear start out? She completed and facilitated the Commerce Bank Emerging Leaders Program as an undergraduate student. A’dja reflected a little on what impacted her about our programs:

“Looking back at the time and dedication given to myself and other emerging leaders by the faculty and staff I worked with was truly astounding. They, themselves, led by example and invested so much energy into empowering us to find our strengths and helping us to understand the meaning and power of leadership.”

Jones uses the skills she learned in Emerging Leaders to work with student athletes now. Not only is this a rewarding experience but one that A’dja, no doubt, is making an impact on student leaders at her alma mater. Her advice for younger students is simple. First, get out there and take risks. A’dja wants younger students to understand that leadership “is about finding the best way to empower others and make things happen.” Lastly, she says, get comfortable with feedback. Instead of taking it personally if it happens to be negative, Jones suggests that you use this feedback to make improvements.

A’dja was also a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha during her time at Missouri State.

Her top 5 strengths are: Significance, Competition, Harmony, Focus, and Achiever.