WALTHAM, Mass. – The latest edition of the Bentley University Athletics Be a Force Speaker Series was held recently with the men's and women's track and cross country teams hearing from three-time NCAA heptathlon champion, attorney, human rights activist and current Texas State representative Jolanda Jones.
 
""I'm grateful to Jolanda Jones for taking the time out of her day to share her life's experiences with us," said head track and cross country coach Kevin Curtin. "It was an eye-opening talk and she is a model of perseverance whose story prompted much discussion and reflection among our student-athletes."
 
The Be a Force Speaker Series was created by Rick Miller '80, the Executive-in-Residence for Bentley Athletics, and Grace Carter, the Manager for Student-Athlete Development at Bentley. The program connects student-athletes with former student-athletes who are role models that maintained their high levels of success after graduation, in both their careers and in their commitment to community service.
 
From a childhood of poverty and tragedy, Jones graduated magna cum laude from Houston with a degree in political science and a number of honors on the track. She was a 3-time NCAA heptathlon champion, a two-time Academic All-America and the runner-up for Southwest Conference Female Athlete of the Decade for the 80's. Her successes led to induction into multiple halls of fame, including the Academic All-America Hall of Fame. She also served as a member of the student government and developed a voracious appetite for government, immersing herself in numerous community boards and organizations to help others.

But it is the strength Jones developed before her college years and professional success and dedication to community service after graduation that add to an already amazing story.
Her single mom raised her after her dad committed suicide in her presence. She was confronted with multiple evictions, houses burning down, bullying, rape, domestic violence, being shot at, seeing dead bodies, lack of food, gas, water, and electricity, and being bullied. She overcame the murder of her brother, aunt, and numerous cousins, and the SIDS death of her niece. Without question, Jones learned resilience at an early age.
 
After earning her bachelor's degree, Jones went on to earn a law degree from the University of Houston and has run a successful law practice for 30 years, garnering many prestigious legal awards. She has also earned a reputation as a powerful businesswoman, an unapologetic human rights activist, a Houston City Council member, a school board Trustee, and as current Texas State Representative for House District 147.
 
Jones continues to improve the lives of her constituents and helps create jobs and opportunities for small and minority businesses. She is a different kind of businesswoman committed not only to business but to her family and humanity by bending the arc of the moral universe towards justice.
 
Jones is a public speaker, a TV personality and author, with her second book, Owning My S.H.I.T! (Suffering Hardship Internalizing Trauma), is an Amazon bestseller. She also coauthored ScholAthlete's Survival Guide ~ Essential Study Skills for the Scholar Athlete.
 
"Hearing Jolanda talk was really impactful because despite the adversity she has faced throughout her life, she has always persevered, and it has led her to be extremely successful in both athletics and her career. She always strives for the highest level of success and this mindset will help motivate me to achieve my own athletic and career goals," said Bentley senior track standout Caitlin Burmester.

"Speaking with Jolanda Jones was an unforgettable experience as her story is one of resilience, perseverance, and an unyielding drive to defy expectations," said senior Coop Caiozzo. "From the Texas House to the track, she has faced challenges that would break most, yet she transformed every obstacle into a steppingstone.
              
"Hearing her describe the grit it took to rise from struggle to athletic excellence, to become an author, a TV personality, and a leader was nothing short of inspiring. She reminded us that true success isn't just about talent – it's about the relentless refusal to quit, no matter the odds."

The speaker series will continue throughout the second semester.