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When Kevin Anthony Jones decided he wanted to finally earn the bachelor’s degree he had been thinking about for two decades, he convinced his younger sisters, Ebony Campbell and Monique Jones, to join him in pursuing their degrees. The three adult siblings, who are all from Newark, graduate together this week from William Paterson University. All earned their degrees through the University’s WP Online program.
Kevin, 42, is the CEO of an organization that provides community-based support and mentorship for city youth with behavioral issues. Kevin, who is also a martial arts instructor and trainer, had been running the organization with some college credit, but no degree – until now.
As a teenager, Kevin says he didn’t think college was for him, so he stopped out.
A married father to four children, he decided he now really wanted that degree – for himself, his children, and the youth he mentors. He investigated William Paterson and its WP Online platform, which allows students to pursue their studies fully online, at their pace and on their schedule.
“I knew this was going to be a bit of a struggle for me. I was a little outdated with this school stuff,” Kevin says with a chuckle. His sisters Ebony Campbell and Monique Jones, now 39 and 27, respectively, had associates degrees. He convinced his sisters to enroll in WP Online with him so they could pursue and earn their bachelor’s degrees together.
“I thought, ‘Let me use that youth that’s more updated with school and technology and knows what they’re doing to help me and to give me that energy that I needed,” Kevin adds, smiling.
“I was contemplating going back to school, but the time management with work, and family … I needed to get it done,” says Ebony, a married mother of two. She has an associate’s degree in paralegal studies and works with the Morris County Superior Court in the family division. She is also a prenatal and post-natal doula and assists her brother with the community organization he runs.
Youngest sister Monique had been a student at William Paterson starting in 2016, immediately after earning her associate’s degree. She started in one major, switched to another, and just hadn’t found her calling. She took some time away from school and started a career with the Internal Revenue Service. Her role as an employee of the U.S. Government helped Monique realize her passion: She wants to work with the FBI someday. She needs a bachelor’s degree to do it, so she agreed to jump on the family’s WP bandwagon – as a new mom to an infant son.
Though not exactly planned, all three siblings ended up pursuing a degree in sociology, as all three have or desire careers that are heavily rooted in community interaction.
“Sociology helps you to have empathy and sympathy for people, understand where they come from, and give them grace,” Ebony explains.
“I love the study of social behavior and of different cultures, and I thought it was important to study that,” adds Monique.
Was it always easy to balance full-time careers with full-time parenthood and university studies? No, Kevin explains, citing long nights and the support he needed from his family to make it all work. WP Online made it possible, though. “We stuck through it, and this is where we are right now,” he says, a few days before the University’s Commencement ceremony. “I have to credit Ebony with her tenacity and Monique with her open-mindedness and getting both on my back and my last nerve,” he adds. “I also have to thank our parents; they laid the foundation for us.”
Kevin’s son and Ebony’s daughter are graduating high school in June, so the Jones family has a lot to celebrate: five graduations in one month.
“They were my first professors and editors,” Kevin says of the teens, explaining how they taught him to use online sources properly to avoid plagiarism. “They told me, ‘You cannot use ChatGPT like that! They checked me.”
When asked what advice they would give to other adult students considering a return to college, Monique – with a happy now-toddler in her lap – does not hesitate: “It’s never too late,” she responds.
“Just do it,” Kevin adds.
