In 1988, Shawn Regina Jones took time from college to raise her first child. She and her husband recently married and settled in a Camden brownstone. Four years later she made that same sacrifice for her next child. She raised the two in tandem for the next twenty years. In 2001, she graduated from Rutgers summa cum laude. I still remember the tears in my father’s eyes.
My time in Camden was formative. Despite the negativity that surrounded me, Rutgers remained a bright spark in the city. It was at Rutgers-Camden that I formed my non-profit, Miracles Global, with the assistance of the Honors College and enthusiastic student partners. In just two years Miracles Global received recognition from the local, state, and federal government.
Since 2008 we’ve donated thousands of dollars in school supplies, clothing, and scholarships to Camden students. We were among the students who spearheaded Rutgers’ Help Haiti, which raised a few thousand dollars in student donations in just a couple of months. Rutgers provided a tremendous launch pad for a not-for-profit start-up that has changed countless lives.
Rutgers-Camden is an asset that has driven change in the surrounding community. I expect even greater things from Chancellor Pritchett and his team.
Mr. Jones, a member of the Honors College, is an inductee of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest academic honor society. He is also the founder of Miracles Global, a non-profit organization.
About Jeffrey C. Jones
Hometown: Camden, NJ/Mickleton, NJ
Major: Political Science
Minors: European Studies and German
CCAS Graduation Date: May 2010