Ar’Kenya Jones is on pace to have her college degree by the time she is 19 years old.
Jones, a Marks native, began commuting to Clarksdale as a freshman to attend Coahoma Early College High School. By attending CECHS, she was able to receive her associate’s degree in general studies from Coahoma Community College this year with a 3.8 GPA. She is also scheduled to graduate from CECHS in late May. Her most recent high school GPA was also a 3.8.
She plans to continue her education at LSU as a chemical engineering major and could graduate in 2023.
Jones took of the college courses her junior and senior years in high school. She could not earn a grade lower than a C in the college program or she would have been forced to sit out a semester. She maintained nearly all A’s and a couple of B’s.
“I knew it was a great opportunity,” said Jones of being part of the Early College program. “I did two grades in one year when I was younger. I did third and fourth grade in one year and then I skipped up to the fifth grade. So I was already in another class and I was already graduating early anyway.”
Jones attended Quitman County Elementary School when she completed third and fourth grade in one year.
“It was this class to bring up students who maybe had flunked or to pass them on to the next grade or bring them in the right grade,” Jones said. “They put me in the class because I was advanced. They wanted me to be able to skip up, too, so we did our third grade year and our fourth grade year in one year.”
Public speaking was Jones’ most challenging college course, but not doing her work in front of other students made things a little better.
“I had to keep on starting over and recording my video before I could just actually submit my assignment for public speaking,” Jones said. “I think that’s actually one of my toughest classes. I still managed to pass it with an A.”
If Jones had taken the conventional route, she would currently be completing her junior year of high school. Instead, she has two years of college under her belt and is three years ahead of schedule.
“I could be starting in my career when I am 19,” Jones said.
Jones’ sister, Aquaysheonna White, was the 2020 CECHS valedictorian, part of the same program and currently attends Jackson State University. Since White was one year ahead of her sister in school, Jones was familiar with the program when she came to CECHS.
“It makes me feel proud of myself that I got so much done,” Jones said. “I feel like I’m going places when I get done. It just makes me want to keep on doing better, keep on going to school and just getting things done so I can get to where I want to be in life.”
While Jones had a full load academically, she also has a complete schedule outside of the classroom. She became a nighttime waitress at Waffle House in Batesville in December 2020. She had been learning virtually much of the year due to the COVID pandemic, but CECHS recently started in-person learning on Fridays.
That meant, every Friday, she would be in Marks, Clarksdale and Batesville.
“I try to balance my time on weekends,” Jones said. “I go to work at nighttime. By the time I get home, I go straight to sleep after I get out of my clothes. I wake up in the morning, I go to class and I finish most of my work. Then I just start back getting ready for work again.”
Jones said virtual learning was a challenge because she had a TV to distract her and siblings in the house. However, she would be working at 11 p.m. regularly to keep up with her studies.
Even as a CECHS student her freshman year, Jones was a cheerleader at Madison Palmer High School. Then the requirements changed and she became a CECHS cheerleader the following three years.
“I have a friend. She cheers for Palmer,” Jones said. “We joke about it. My ninth grade year, I was cheering for Quitman County. I used to come to school Fridays in my Quitman County uniform and they used to talk about me so bad, but it all a joke.”
Jones credits her mother, Lashonna Jones, and aunt, Fairencaba Armstead, with keeping her on the right path. Armstead graduated from Jackson State University with a degree in account and just graduated from another school in California. She is an auditor for Memphis Light, Gas and Water.
Lashonna Jones works for Amazon.
“She always goes above and beyond for her kids,” said Jones of her mother. “Even though she might fuss and say she’s not going to do this and that, I know she’s always going to come through in the end because we’re good kids. We always do well in school and don’t do other things like smoking, drinking or anything like that. She knows that we’re good kids so she’s always going to push to do everything that she possibly can for us and just come through for us at the end.”
Jones enjoys spending time with friends and family, cheerleading, playing kickball and taking the dog for a walk. Experimenting with drugs was never a consideration.
“I always feel like I don’t need that type of stuff to have fun,” Jones said. “I feel like I’m always just having a blast. I don’t need that type of stuff. I never just wanted to get involved in that type of stuff anyways. I just feel like, even if they try to get me to do it, I just say no. No is my answer because I don’t want to do it. I’m not going to do something and they understand it. My friends don’t do that type of stuff anyway. When I’m around someone who does and I tell them no, they’re going to leave me alone.”
Things changed at CECHS throughout Jones’ four years of high school. It went to a true early college format where students had to be accepted into the school. The football program was also eliminated. Funding will now move from the state through local school district and CECHS must obtain a Memorandum of Understanding from those districts, specifically Clarksdale Municipal School District and Coahoma County School District, both releasing students to CECHS and then sending the dollars from the state to CECHS.
It is a possibility CECHS will not be open next year.
Jones said she agreed with making the program a true early college format, but it could have waited another year so seniors did not have to transfer to Coahoma County or Clarksdale high school. She believes CECHS should not be shut down.
“I feel like this is a good program for students to do,” Jones said. “Graduating with your associate’s, that’s really good and you’re not paying for anything at all. I think that’s a good thing. I think the program should keep on going.”
Looking ahead, Jones chose to attend LSU next year to develop as a person, make new friends and be on her own. She said the only engineering schools in Mississippi were Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Jackson State universities.
“I never just really wanted to go to Jackson State because that’s where my family went to or Ole Miss,” Jones said. “I wanted to kind of get my own home. Mississippi State was my second option because I really loved the campus when I was there for two weeks. But I liked LSU because I know, it’s a little ways at home, but not too far away. It was just kind of like my dream school. I’ve been looking at schools a lot since I was younger. I went and visited the campus and I just loved it. I knew I could just see myself going there. I had always wanted to go and expand my horizons, just go somewhere else.”
LSU and Jackson State still have the Tiger mascot in common, just like CECHS.
“I’m still a Tiger,” Jones said.
Jones said she may continue her education after LSU and pursue her doctorate. She does not know if she will live near home or move away after college. She said living in Texas, Georgia or California are all possibilities.
