BILLINGS — It is easy to see a sea of graduates — harder to see the journeys that brought them to Saturday's moments.
Ula Jones, a Senior High School graduate, stood among hundreds of her peers this week, Dartmouth-bound.
“This means that I did every single AP and honors class that I could, all four years,” said Jones, holding her sash.
Jones, who served as student body vice president, applied to Dartmouth College as a first-generation student. The decision to apply was as daunting as the coursework that brought her to the top of her class.
“Well, it was really scary, ‘cause I’m first generation,” said Jones. “I had to be brave and believe in myself, and be like, ‘Okay, I belong here. I can fill out this application, and I’m a worthy candidate.’”
See the powerful story of perseverance that carried a Montana senior all the way to Dartmouth:
While Jones was securing her academic future, her family was facing one of its most difficult chapters. Her 93-year-old grandmother had been placed into hospice care. Her mother left to care for her full time. That meant Jones moved in with her sister, Erin Hall, a teacher at Billings West High School.
“I didn’t have my parents with me,” said Jones. “So, it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, mom I forgot, I need a tri-poster for this project,’ or ‘Can you make me lunch for tomorrow?’ I didn’t have someone to do that for me. My sister helped as much as she could, but she had little kids and she has a job. So, it was kind of like a roommate situation. I really had to learn how to be independent while also going through the process of watching someone that I love fading away.”
That experience, Jones said, gave her perspective. Even amid grief and uncertainty, she continued to show up — to class, to her commitments, to her dreams.
“When you see someone reflecting on their entire life and — my grandma’s so full of gratitude for every single day she’s alive — it makes me feel like I have to make the best of every day that I get too,” said Jones. "I just feel blessed. I’m just like, ‘Oh, I get to be here and I get the opportunity to work hard and get this diploma.’”
Jones graduated with highest honors. This fall, she will attend Dartmouth College to study government and environmental science on a pre-law track.
“I just feel excited for the future and just really grateful,” said Jones. “There’s so many people that are behind me today and so, I’m just really grateful for all of them.”
