McNair student to make New Orleans presentation

By JASON HENNINGTON

News Writer

Although Thomas Wolfe wrote, “ALPINE – ou can’t go back home again,” Sul Ross State University student Earnest Jones, Boerne, will embrace the opportunity to return.

Jones recently received word that his McNair Program paper has been accepted for presentation at the Academy of Business Research Conference, to be held in his hometown of New Orleans, La. March 14-16.

Jones’ paper being accepted was the result of his McNair project titled Compliance Gaining Research: Applications in Retail Sales, which was researched and completed during the summer of 2011.

“I’ll be giving an oral presentation about my project, because my McNair project was one of the qualifying papers for me to give an oral presentation.  I’m looking forward to it,” Jones said.

He explained that while growing up in New Orleans he never envisioned college as a part of his future. But, as a result of Hurricane Katrina he was taken out of that environment, relocated in Texas and ultimately enrolled at Sul Ross.

“I can’t wait to go back home, and also have time to spend time with my family and see some old friends and reminisce about New Orleans and where I grew up,” he said.

“It’s actually an honor to go back and show off a little of what I’ve done since Hurricane Katrina,” he said.  “It’s a blessing to go back and present and hopefully a couple of my family members will be able to come and watch me present.  That would be really, really touching and it would be really amazing if they can come and see the transition I’ve made since Hurricane Katrina.”

This will be Jones’s second return to New Orleans through a Sul Ross venue.  He recently attended a graduate conference with Dr. Esther Rumsey, his McNair adviser and chair of the Department of Fine Arts and Communication..

“We went there to talk to lots of graduate schools, and it was fun and really exciting to get to talk to (representatives of) so many different schools,” he said.

During the conference, Jones said there were close to a 100 different graduate schools there and that he also got the chance to hear presentations from other students.

“It was nice getting that attention from those graduate schools and also learning from other scholars with their academic research,” he said.  “We listened to them and got some motivation from them to continue to do research.”

Jones used that motivation and said that he is enjoying being chosen to give a presentation.

“What I’m doing right now is taking it all in that I got accepted; this is a huge deal,” he said.  “Dr. Rumsey is a wonderful mentor, and right now we’re just kind of taking it all in, and trying to keep that excitement going.”

Along with enjoying the moment, Jones and Rumsey are also working hard to prepare for the presentation.

“I’m going to start working on my presentation orally, make sure I perfect it and pronounce each word correctly,” he said.

Jones earlier presented at University of California, Berkeley.

“I’m pretty used to giving oral presentations, so it shouldn’t be too hard,” he said.  “I’m just ready to go and get it done and network and see family.”

Currently Jones is researching nonprofit organizations that cater to at-risk youth and how they operate in terms of volunteering, fundraising, and web pages.   Now, however, he is just honored and excited about being able to present at home.

“This has been a wonderful opportunity to go back.  It’s always good to go back home and reminisce about my life and how it was and now how it has changed so much, because my future would have been totally different if I was still there in New Orleans,” he said.

“It’s always a blessing to look back and just to see what I’ve done, and it’s a good confidence booster.  Anything I put my mind to, I can do it, with the help of God and so many people that have been a part of my life, to see me accomplish all of the goals that I’ve had for myself since Hurricane Katrina.    I’ve overcome so many obstacles there in New Orleans to where I’m at now is like wow I’ve done it.”

The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to encourage first-generation, low-income students and minority undergraduates to consider careers in college teaching as well as prepare for doctoral study. Students who participate in this program are provided with research opportunities and faculty mentors.

The program was named in honor of the astronaut who died in the 1986 space-shuttle explosion. Currently there are 185 McNair projects at universities throughout the U.S., serving more than 5,000 students. Sul Ross’ McNair Program was established in November 2007 and is funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s TRIO Programs.