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Anastasia Desma Jones

Biography

Highlights of Young Scholar Experience: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Clemson University and Michigan Tech are three fine universities and three institutions where Young Scholar Anastasia Jones spent part of her summers expanding her knowledge of architecture, engineering and science.  They are just a few of the entries on her resume of experiences she was able to partake in thanks to the Foundation.  

Profile: Anastasia was able to attend KIPP Gaston Preparatory in North Carolina, a school ranked by a national magazine as one of the top high schools in the country.  Located just a few miles south of her home in Emporia, VA, Anastasia thrived in and out of the classroom.  She finished her high school career with a 3.9 GPA, just a percentage point shy of a perfect 4.0, and she was very active in many other extracurricular activities, including the dance and track teams. Her teachers at Gaston were effusive in their praise of their Young Scholar, using words such as “exemplary, hard-working, cooperative” to describe her. Off the Gaston campus, Anastasia found time to be an intern with Teach for America, served as a math tutor and was involved with a group called Cross-Cultural Solutions, which allowed her to volunteer in Costa Rica. 

Inspiration: One of Anastasia’s teachers, Diana Bailey influenced her greatly “and helped me become a better person and student.”  Mrs. Bailey, Anastasia said, “challenged my thinking and my writing.” 

Aspiration: Current plans have Anastasia attending either an Ivy League college or remaining in the South.  Eventually she would like to enter the world of finance. 

Making a Difference: Anastasia feels that her greatest accomplishment was being a role model for her family. She’ll be the first member of her family to go directly to college from high school.  “I am happy that my mom and my nana found inspiration in me and that I was a role model to my younger siblings and cousins. I worked really hard to make my family proud and to know that they are proud of my accomplishments made me feel like I achieved a lot.” 

Accolades: She was a member of the Gaston Honor Society and Beta Club for Academic Excellence and was awarded the exclusive “Panther Pin” for upholding school values. In addition she was an AP Scholar.

Interesting Fact: Anastasia is not afraid of taking on a challenge – in the classroom, on the athletic field, or while volunteering.  But there is one thing she’ll readily admit to being afraid of:  heights.

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