Student Spotlight

Jamie Jones '19

As a member of the golf team, Jamie Jones, knows how rare it is to shoot a hole-in-one. But in his case, you could say he did it twice last year. Jones, (Architectural Engineering Technology, '19) a British native, had a winning 2018, first walking the Great Wall of China to raise funds for cancer research in his homeland, and then taking home the prestigious Elite 90 golf award from the NCAA for outstanding academic achievement.

You may wonder, though, why Jones left England to study in the U.S., and specifically at FSC.

“I traveled to the U.S. for vacations a lot as a kid, and I also lived in Florida from 11-14 years old” he says. “I’ve always liked the country so that played a big role.

“Then, the architecture degree I’m studying for is a seven-year program in the U.K., so studying at Farmingdale makes it shorter,” he adds. “It’s also a lot easier for me to play golf and study at the same time in the U.S.”

The Great Wall project actually originated with Jones’ mother, who in 2017 had trekked across parts of the Himalayas in Nepal. Adventure is in her blood, and she wanted to take a similar journey in 2018.

“She decided she would like to complete another trek and I decided to go, too,” Jones says. “The Great Wall—being one of the wonders of the world—is something anyone would want to see.” Jones saw plenty, having walked the 40-mile length of the wall in five days.

“The entire trip was a great experience but also pretty tough,” Jones says. “Walking included some extremely steep steps up to the watchtowers of the wall and descents through crumbled ruins and small forested areas.

“My highlights of the trip would be the spectacular views and experiencing a different culture in a country so different from the West. In the first ‘hotel’ we stayed in my bed was supported by a rock in the corner. Food and accommodations in general were always a bit of a shock.”

But none of that mattered much when Jones tallied up the money he and his mother raised for Teenage Cancer Trust, a U.K. charity that funds research and assists young adults with cancer. The effort raised $3,500 and honored Jones' grandfather who died of cancer.

When Jones isn’t helping others, he is studying and playing golf, a sport he has pursued for eight years. The opportunity to play competitively for an excellent program was another reason he enrolled at FSC. He competed at the 2018 Division III Men’s Golf Championship, winning a prestigious academic award for achieving a 3.97 GPA, the best among the 210 golfers there.

“The award was something I hadn’t heard of until about a week before we left for the tournament,” he says. “When I was told I’d been nominated. I was still not expecting to win, so when I did I was extremely happy.”

For Jones, success is par for the course.