Anquincia Jones '20 Recruiting Profile

During my childhood, things were not colorful, magical and easy. Growing up in a neighborhood composed of violence, crime, and drugs was scary and forced me to grow up faster than the average child. On top of that, I was raised primarily in a single parent home along with my older sister. My father was around sometimes, but he began another family and could not always be present physically or emotionally for his two only daughters, leaving us to be raised by our hardworking mother. With all the negativity surrounding me, being raised in church and being active, whether I was ushering or singing, helped overshadow that and that is the reason why I am still here today. Being introduced to God at a young age made me believe that I was blessed and that there were great things in store for me as long as I kept faith. Where I come from, the phrase “right place, wrong time” was used every time someone innocent was affected by the stupidity of others. I had a few of those moments growing up, such as being at a football game or in the store and then hearing gun shots. At those moments my heart would be racing, and I would react fast while thinking to myself that this was the end for me. However, God and my angels in heaven were watching over me. A lot of my peers that I grew up with are either buried 6 feet deep, in jail or are high school dropouts. Growing up I was not the best child and most people who knew me would say I would’ve joined my unlucky peers if I continued the route I was going. But as I matured, I began to understand that life is too short to waste it and not taking advantage of it. Despite my struggles and hardship, I managed to always perform academically well in school and be a positive role model or leader for those around me. I allowed my background to up lift me and not use it as an excuse to fail in life. A wise person once told me “never let your actions, good or bad, define you as a person.” In other words, if you did something bad, that does not mean you are a bad person. I’ve managed to let that quote guide me and take me a long way in life from a smart but troubled young girl to a still smart but modeled student athlete. In order to get away from my problems, I turned to school and sports because it was the only time felt like I mattered in the world. In doing so, I’ve become a better human being, possessing qualities such as responsibility, sportsmanship, maturity, and respect for others.  In addition, being an African American female always gave me the rush to do the impossible. My ethnicity, financial status and upbringing influenced me to pursue goals that my family, friends and peers would say are out of my reach. There were times, and still today, that I felt like I had no support, and no one believed in me. My family does not push me in sports and basically feels as if I should just quit. Also, I am encouraged not to go to college, not only because I can’t afford it but because “it’s a waste of time.” All the dark things I’ve heard, I shined a light on them and allowed that to be my boost. When deciding my future career, I wanted to be something that not all women do because I am a strong believer that men are no better than women at anything, not in any sport or task. My first option is basketball, but I must be realistic because the percentage of becoming a professional athlete, especially as a woman, is very slim. Therefore, with my strength in math and ability to solve problems I chose to pursue a career in engineering. This male dominated field is an uprising one and a very important field. Without engineers many things in this world we would not have. I plan to major in civil engineering and then work at a firm and one day maybe start my own. I want to get my masters so I can be more qualified to be study education of engineering and teach at a local university to those future problem solvers who I once was. The many doctors, lawyers, teachers and law enforcers are not the only ones that help people throughout their daily lives. Engineers are the people in the shadows that are very important in the world making sure everything operates right such as the roads being paved and building being stable. Once I established my career, I plan to return home and start programs that help children focus more on school and their future career choices. If they are interested in sports, I would start an athletics club to keep children involved in something and out of trouble. For my high school, I want to donate money and give out scholarships to 5 scholars every year. I want to be able to say I am a product of Overtown, Miami and will always be that no matter where I go, and I want the kids to get the opportunity that I never had.