Donna Jones has earned a 3.75 GPA, is a member of Phi Theta Kappa honorary society, and has recently joined Dalton State’s first class of Honors Program students. While these achievements are impressive enough, the fact that she almost didn’t pursue postsecondary education to begin with makes these accomplishments even more special. “I’ve gone from being a high school dropout to being in a college’s honors program,” says Jones, who at age 25 has worked full time for seven years for a large carpet manufacturer.

“I wanted to go to college because I’ve always had a strong desire to learn,” she says, adding that she is extremely inquisitive and curious. “I could easily be someone who goes to college for the rest of my life.”

That wasn’t always the case for the Murray County native who quit high school because she felt indifferent, at that time, about completing her studies. The first in her family to pursue postsecondary education, Donna had to earn a General Educational Development (GED) certificate before she could begin taking college courses. In 2002, she enrolled in one of Dalton State’s certificate programs, but transferred to an Associate of Applied Science in General Studies program the next semester.

“I’m still not sure what I am going to major in, but the ‘How to Choose Your Major’ course I took was helpful, and it shows that I have a high aptitude for science and psychology. I think I’ll probably end up in one of those fields.”

Becoming an Honors Program student has been challenging, but rewarding, she says. “It’s been everything I thought it would be and more,” says Jones. “I especially like the Honors Seminar where we analyze arguments and talk about applying logic to everyday life. We’ve also had fun working on ‘webfolios’ to showcase our honors experience.” Jones says that being in the Honors Program is not necessarily “harder” than other classes, but that they are challenging and enjoyable. “It’s a different way of thinking. So far, it’s been extremely interesting.”