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Jonathan Jones has long had a passion for robotics and engineering, and he helped
raise money for a Tiger Giving Day project spearheaded by the Southeastern Center
for Robotics Education (SCORE). (Photo courtesy of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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Jonathan Jones (business admin '15) approaches each day with a purpose the same way he attacks an opponent鈥檚 pass
in the National Football League.
The 2015 Auburn University graduate and two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback with
the New England Patriots works diligently to improve access and opportunities for
marginalized children who are often forgotten. Through his , the Carrollton, Georgia, native works with organizations in multiple states to give
hundreds of young people a chance to succeed in a variety of fields.
From Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and food insecurity initiatives
to life skills application and professional development, Jones and his foundation
work to empower the next generation through education and mentorship opportunities.
鈥淚鈥檝e been blessed with a lot in my life, from talent to just being in the position
I鈥檓 in now and the platform and outreach I have,鈥� said Jones, a four-year starter
in Auburn鈥檚 secondary from 2012-15. 鈥淚 just want to see other youth come up and excel,
and I think my end goal is always just for that to be full circle for the more kids
that I can get to come back and say, 鈥楬ey, you were part of my journey, you did this
STEM camp for me or you put on this football camp,鈥� or whatever the endeavor may be.
Just to say that an event I put on helped them on their journey is the goal.鈥�
Recently, Jones partnered with the Southeastern Center for Robotics Education (SCORE) on to raise funds to purchase robotics equipment and provide professional development
to schools that otherwise wouldn鈥檛 have the means. That partnership materialized after
SCORE representatives attended a Lower Mills STEM Week 2023 event outside Boston in
which Jones was involved. The Tiger Giving Day project raised more than $15,000, inspiring
Jones to send a message to donors.
鈥淚t means a lot to us, not only to me, but to the kids and to the lives that you鈥檙e
impacting through STEM,鈥� Jones said in . 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not only giving robotics equipment, but you鈥檙e also giving opportunity to
see a pathway that most didn鈥檛 see possible.鈥�
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Another chief aim of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation is supporting charities
and organizations such as the Food Bank of East Alabama and the Auburn Sustenance
Project. (Photo courtesy of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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Jones鈥� foundation operates in the three communities that mean the most to him.
鈥淲hen I started the foundation, the three pillars of the foundation were the places
that were part of my life, and that was Carrollton, my hometown, Auburn and Boston,鈥�
said Jones, who still visits Auburn as often as possible. 鈥淎long my journey, I spent
my childhood in Carrollton, my early adulthood in Auburn and the last eight years
in Boston. So, those were the places and the pillars that helped me, and I want to
just give back to those places because they meant so much to my journey.鈥�
Jones has given support through his foundation to several efforts, including many
with ties to the Plains. His foundation was honored by the with its Eagle Award earlier this year for his involvement in the community, and Jones
supports the and the .
Jones intentionally set out to align with a diverse and balanced portfolio of worthy
organizations through his foundation.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 just want it to be about athletics, I didn鈥檛 just want it to be about education,鈥�
Jones said of the foundation. 鈥淚 feel like help can be needed in so many ways. So,
if I can help a kid take their next step with the sustenance program and they say,
鈥業 don鈥檛 have food while we鈥檙e out on [summer] break, and that鈥檚 my barrier to getting
better,鈥� and 鈥業 can鈥檛 focus on my schoolwork if I can鈥檛 eat,鈥� I鈥檓 helping you take
your next step in that phase.
鈥淥r if it鈥檚, 鈥楬ey, I kind of have this desire to get more into STEM,鈥� and I can say,
鈥榃ell, I put on this event,鈥� and 鈥業鈥檝e connected with this group,鈥� we can just help
kids generally take their next step, whatever that may be.鈥�
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Jonathan Jones enjoys working with youth and expanding opportunities and access to
STEM-based learning. (Photo courtesy of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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Jones鈥� sense of duty and philanthropic mentality come from values instilled in him
by his mother, Sharon, and father, Stacey.
鈥淎thletics and education were just my background, and I always say I had the perfect
yin and yang between my parents,鈥� said Jones, who volunteered at soup kitchens and
youth track camps while in high school. 鈥淢y dad loves sports and is very disciplined,
and my mom could care less [about sports]; it鈥檚 all about education, and that鈥檚 all
that mattered to her. I couldn鈥檛 go to practice if I didn鈥檛 have the right grades.
So, the things that were instilled in me growing up just carried over.鈥�
STEM grew into a passion of Jones鈥� in his teen years.
鈥淚 was in an engineering program through high school, and I just loved it,鈥� he said.
鈥淲e worked with Southwire Engineering, a company that鈥檚 out of my hometown. I鈥檝e always
loved to see how things work and motors, with my dad being a mechanic, and just being
around things like that growing up.
鈥淚 got to college and wasn鈥檛 able to do engineering with the schedule and the workload
with that and football. So, I fell back to business, but engineering was just always
something that thrived within me.鈥�
When he started the foundation in 2019, Jones did so with an eye on forging partnerships
with organizations that could help young people enjoy STEM-related projects that could
spark a passion for learning within them.
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Each summer, Jonathan Jones hosts a football camp for children at his hometown in
Carrollton, Georgia. (Photo courtesy of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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鈥淎 few years back, the first partnership that I did was with , and they do mechanisms that kids are able to use to bring play indoors and connect
it in with coding,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淭hat was up my alley, and it was to two things that
I love 鈥� being outside playing and coding and the interface of that.
鈥淚 always say technology is the future, and it鈥檚 important to give kids an opportunity
to get involved in that early and to be a part of the future of technology and see
what that has to offer. Engineering is a big word, but when you break it down at a
smaller level, it鈥檚 what you do when you play with Legos as a kindergartener.鈥�
Jones was a gifted athlete who took notice when members of the Carrollton community
went the extra mile to provide opportunities for children in his area.
鈥淭here was a guy in my hometown who donated a lot of money for us to be able to go
and participate in a lot of sports,鈥� said Jones, who conducts a football camp at Carrollton
High School each summer. 鈥淭hat was kind of my opening to the world to get outside
of my hometown and go travel, play football, run track and do sports. I always wanted
to give back and make that come full circle and be a part of somebody else鈥檚 journey
and help them fulfill their dreams.鈥�
Jones did not hear his name called in the 2016 NFL Draft, signing with the Patriots
as an undrafted free agent. He worked hard to not only make the team, but emerge as
a starter who now has two championship rings in a nearly decade-long career.
That feeling of being initially overlooked, however, helped ignite Jones鈥� desire to
use his platform to help others who may feel forgotten.
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Jonathan Jones helped host a Girls Flag Field Day with the Play Like a Girl organization,
an event that featured a panelist, flag drills and STEM activity. (Photo courtesy
of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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鈥淚 always considered myself the left-out guy, the guy nobody saw or [in a situation
where] it wasn鈥檛 supposed to be me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of people out there who
feel like that who may say, 鈥楢h, STEM鈥檚 not supposed to be for me,鈥� whether it鈥檚 females
or people who come from underprivileged places, who may feel like, 鈥楢h, that鈥檚 not
supposed to be me.鈥� So, I鈥檓 using my story as an example to say, 鈥楬ey, all you need
is an opportunity, and once you get that opportunity, make the most of it.鈥欌��
Jones calls himself a 鈥渇orever learner,鈥� and last summer he added the title of licensed
pilot to his resume after developing a new passion for aviation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for young kids to grow up saying, 鈥楬ey, I want to be an NFL football player,鈥欌��
he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the glitz and the glamour, but even now, I just picked up aviation
and got my pilot鈥檚 license. That鈥檚 just because those things still drive me and just
[a love for] learning.
鈥淢y friends make fun of me. They say, 鈥業f you want to know what Jonathan鈥檚 into, just
go on his YouTube channel, and whatever the videos are about, that鈥檚 his next endeavor.鈥欌��
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Signed as an undrafted free agent, Jonathan Jones is now an eight-year NFL veteran
who has won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots, in 2017 and 2019. (Photo
courtesy of the Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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His daughter, Skylar, is also a major motivating factor for Jones, who, in 2023, became
the program鈥檚 first male national ambassador.
鈥淏eing a girl dad, I had the opportunity to try to link with these programs and open
doors for a lot of young females, including my daughter, and so that definitely is
a driving force,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of these spaces are male-dominated, from athletics
to STEM and aviation, a lot of the things that I鈥檓 involved with are very male-dominated.
So, just giving females an opportunity to step through that door 鈥� being a minority,
I understand what it鈥檚 like to have barriers to entry 鈥� so that鈥檚 empathy I have on
their behalf and is something that I鈥檓 always going to advocate for so that, as she
grows and as she gets older, doors are already open.
鈥淵ou look at the NCAA women鈥檚 tournament this year how it had more viewership than
the men鈥檚. That鈥檚 just a testament to all the people coming together and putting the
driving force behind women鈥檚 sports. In aviation, there鈥檚 a lot of women you see now
making that career take off. I definitely want her to have as many opportunities as
she can as she gets older, and that鈥檚 definitely a driving force.鈥�
Jones has had a busy offseason, marrying his fianc茅e, Andressa, in the Florida Keys
and undergoing a right knee scope to clear out debris from the wear and tear of the
NFL in March.
Jones鈥� off-the-field efforts earned him a supreme honor this past season, as he was
selected as the Patriots鈥� nominee for the . That distinction validated the work he and his colleagues are doing to make a difference.
鈥淚t meant a lot. It meant that the things that me and the team are doing are making
a difference,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 do it for awards, but that鈥檚 just affirmation that
you鈥檙e in the right direction and you鈥檙e doing the right things. It鈥檚 just motivation
to continue to keep going and do more and help more people.鈥�
After his football days are done, Jones wants to continue to impact the lives of others
in meaningful and lasting ways.
鈥淚 want to continue to play as long as I can and use the opportunities in the platform
that I have to build up the foundation so that, once I am done playing, I鈥檒l be full
time with the foundation and helping kids make their journey and to be a part of their
journey,鈥� Jones said.
鈥淚 consider myself a forever learner, and I鈥檓 always trying to learn. I want to make
that contagious and show other people and kids that, when you graduate high school
and when you graduate college, learning doesn鈥檛 end there. There鈥檚 so much more in
this world that you can learn.鈥�
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Through his Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation, the Auburn alum is working to increase
access to STEM education for young people in several states. (Photo courtesy of the
Jonathan Jones Next Step Foundation)
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