Lesley Jones wanted college to be different the second time around.
"I just came and went through the motions and left, and I found that I didn't enjoy myself," said Jones, an alumna from Lawrenceville, Georgia. "So when I came back I wanted to find a place to meet new people and make lasting connections and really enjoy the campus."
Almost a decade after earning her associate degree from what was then Gainesville State College, Jones returned to the University of North Georgia's (UNG) Gainesville Campus to earn a bachelor's degree in history. She is proud to be a nontraditional student who graduated in summer 2019 at age 35 after owning her own business for eight years.
But it is not the only thing she is proud of. During her tenure at UNG, Jones served as president of the History Club, president of the Phi Alpha Theta Zeta Phi subchapter she brought to the Gainesville Campus, senior class representative for Student Government Association (SGA), and secretary of Nighthawks Entertainment.
In addition, Jones was involved in research that opened doors for her. She presented a poster about women and spiritualism in America at the Georgia Undergraduate Research Conference hosted by UNG.
Her poster also earned her the opportunity to go to the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu in January 2019. The first student from the Gainesville Campus to attend the conference, she secured travel grants from the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities and SGA, as well as raised a combined $900 through selling candy and a GoFundMe page.
This was all part of Jones' plans to go to graduate school and eventually work in archives to preserve artifacts. She earned her Master of Arts in history in spring 2022 from UNG. She currently serves as archives and collections manager at the Northeast Georgia History Center at Brenau University.
"I've always loved museums. I like the idea of preserving history for future generations," Jones said. "It's important to me that people know where we come from and learn from it or even be interested in it."
Jones has also worked internships at the Northeast Georgia History Center and with Dr. Steven Nicklas, associate professor of anthropology at UNG. The work with Nicklas involved cataloging World War II artifacts for an exhibit in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia.
"I got to see how a museum runs and what exactly I want to do when I get my bachelor's degree and go on to my master's," Jones said.
Jones enjoyed helping her fellow students in History Club learn about steps they can take to help advance their careers. But other activities included eating cake while discussing Marie Antoinette. No matter which of her many capacities Jones served in, she had a consistent message for those around her.
"It's not just education. You can find yourself at UNG. You can learn. You can meet new people," Jones said. "You can find out things about yourself you didn't know if you just try."
