Inn Their Own Words: Alumna Jamilah Jones Shares How Inn Dwelling Prepared Her for an International Career Opportunity

By Denise Henry

You never know how your story and experience c an impact others. For alumna Jamilah Jones, hearing about Fulbright scholars from Inn Dwelling alumni at the age of 14 heightened her interest in this prestigious international teaching grant and eventually l ed to her emerging career opportunity, as her own Fulbright scholar experience began in February. Jamilah was inspired by the “global aspect” of the program. “A lot of us were in Inn Dwelling because we wanted to branch out from our neighborhoods, and education was a way to expand beyond where we were,” she said. Jamilah aspires to pay if forward by one day creating schools with international opportunities.

Jamilah’s journey with Inn Dwelling began when her family moved to Mt. Airy and she attended Inn Dwelling’s Sophia Program at Holy Cross School. “My mom saw it as a good opportunity,” she shared. And that it most certainly was, as she excelled in leaps and bounds throughout her time at Inn Dwelling and beyond. She reflected,  “At Inn Dwelling, I received tutoring to fill achievement gaps and life lessons that prepared to get us to and through it. I learned a lot during my time at Inn Dwelling.  Stress, sweat, tears, and a hunger for success are just a few ways I would describe my Inn Dwelling experience.”

Jamilah added , “Through lnn Dwelling, l received a partial scholarship for Merion Mercy, which prepared me for college.   Honors and AP courses, SAT prep, leadership and volunteer opportunities were not  only the requirements,  but expectations of  an  Inn Dwelling student, and they all prepared me for some aspect of life, whether it be creating and executing a fundraiser to raise money for other students, planning and facilitating a retreat, or leading a club.”

“Merion Mercy prepared me socially. I learned core values of sisterhood, responsibility, and kindness, as well as how to live in a values-based space. All of my clubs and activities were based around those core values. I spent four years at Merion Mercy preparing myself to enter a select college,” Jamilah said. While I was selected into colleges that include George Washington University, Lehigh University, Villanova won my heart and captured my imagination. She graduated in May of 2019 with a degree in Global Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Cultural Studies and a minor in Africana Studies. “I knew I wanted to be a Fulbright scholar before I went to Villanova. Inn Dwelling students would talk about it,” Jamilah reminisced.

When she went to Villanova, she found the program. “At Villanova, l had professors who said your only homework tonight is to research what a Fulbright is,” said Jamilah. She is now using her love and experience with the Spanish language to teach English as a Second Language in Brazil as a 2019 Fulbright recipient.

Jamilah will begin her Fulbright program with TESOL certification and solid experience in the Latino community, as she spent a year and a half teaching English as a Second Language to the Spanish-speaking community in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. She also worked at Villanova’s School of Law as a Spanish Interpreter for refugees seeking asylum.

“My interest in teaching in Brazil comes from my time at Villanova. In addition to coursework, I joined the Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority and had a lot of friends who were from Brazil. I also wrote my Fulbright essay about Brazil,” Jamilah shared. In preparation for her Fulbright scholarship this Winter, Jamilah taught herself Portuguese.

As she reflected on her memorable moments at Inn Dwelling, Jamilah talked fondly about the annual retreats she attended. “We were a close community. At the retreats, we got to see what the older kids were doing, and were inspired by the seniors,” When asked about what advice she would give current Inn Dwelling students,, Jamilah said, “Focus on the end goal.” .Jamilah took her own advice in full measure, and it is paying huge  dividends in her life.

During her freshman year at Villanova, she spoke at an Inn Dwelling fundraiser and shared, “I like to think of my experience at Villanova in terms of what l am moving toward and who I hope to become.” Jamilah is living proof of Inn Dwelling’s successful outcomes, and the popular expression that says it all: “She believed she could, so she did.”

Jamilah Jones is an Inn Dwelling alumna of the Class of 2015, Class of 2019 Villanova graduate, and 2019 Fulbright scholar who will teach in Brazil for one year.