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Following Angie's Dream
by Michael Crusan
Arriving at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire by mistake, Angie Jones found a home.
The truth was that Jones had initially been accepted to the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse with a scholarship. Thinking it was Eau Claire that had offered the scholarship she came here and quickly realized the mistake. Love at first sight had already struck though and Jones stayed. This wasn’t the first time Jones relocated in life.
Her parents, a chef and a television producer, are the most influential people in her life. They raised Jones through an interesting childhood. Moving from Philadelphia to Milwaukee at the age of five she entered elementary school. Her school was a German immersion school that expected the students to learn English at home. Jones did not.
When Jones arrived at a new school that taught traditional English it was difficult. Friends were hard to come by because of her language barrier. Her teachers placed her in remedial courses. She said that it frustrated her to be held back when she was really an advanced student. Unable to communicate her knowledge she trudged through until her English was polished. Then Jones effortlessly unlocked the doors to friendships and academic success.
High school was the next stepping stone in her ambitious life. It was a hard time for her school but Jones didn’t let it hinder her personal learning experience. She lost two principals and the high school itself burned down while she attended Wauwatosa West High School. Most of her free time was spent in the pool with the swim team or on the softball diamond. Not surprisingly she was also a member of the German club, as Jones put it “I was a German club geek.” She brushes off high school and starts to talk about her past work experiences. Jones says she “always had a job.”
She started by working with her father at her church. Jones would assist with the editing and outputting of a church broadcast to 16 cable stations. She also worked at Gloria Jean’s Coffee shop until one sick day. She had the flu and called in to work. By her reasoning she was doing the right thing and not passing illness onto the patrons of the coffee shop. However, her employer saw differently and fired her for leaving them short staffed that day. Since then she has not entered another Gloria Jean’s.
Jones has a family of seven. Her parents and four siblings make up the household. John is her older brother and is described as “loving Harry Potter.” Andrew is younger than her and a senior in high school. Marissa is a high school sophomore and has a passion for Broadway. Finally, Danny rounds out the kids as the baby in the family, even though he is a freshman in high school.
Jones has a very ambitious eye for the future. She says she chose broadcast journalism as a major because of her father’s influence. She interned with him and liked the behind the scene action. Her desire is to be a field director because she enjoys having power and control of a television crew. However, her passion in life is to write manuals. After asking her again to confirm that she desires to write manuals she goes into detail. She admits that sometimes when reading a manual it’s irresistible to correct. She wants to make operating or using a device with a manual easy to read and comprehend. Plus she says there is good pay in rewriting manuals for car companies.
Jones plans to settle her future in Seattle, Wash. Here she has dreams of working as a writer and taking weekend trips to Mt. Rainier to hike. Jones also dreams of opening a combination coffee shop pottery studio with her best friend Holly. The dream man is her life is a short and definite answer. Jones wishes to wed John Krasinski. The actor who plays Jim from NBC’s TV show The Office.
Her favorite thing about herself is her sense of humor. She says that she will laugh at herself and others if something is funny. When asked to describe herself with one word she asks her friend Jacki for help. After a brief consultation they reply with the word witty.
Jones is a charismatic dreamer. She allows her imagination and determination to push her forward in life. She admits she is always sleepy. That isn’t too much of a problem for her though. Jones takes comfort in knowing that her coffee shop will keep her awake soon enough.
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