Moving away from home at 18 was a scary endeavor for Adrianna Jones.

Adrianna Jones

Jones, a freshman University of Houston-Victoria creative writing major, spent much of her first semester in the fall going home to visit her mother in Killeen.

“It was hard in the beginning,” said Jones, who graduated in 2014 from Shoemaker High School. “I went home a lot. I just wasn’t used to being away from my mom.”

Jones enjoyed the spring semester more because she became better involved with the university. She is president of the Residence Hall Association. Taking on that leadership role helped her make additional friends and feel at home.

The association aims to help create a fun environment for the university’s students living in Jaguar Hall, Jaguar Court and Jaguar Suites. Many of the students, like Jones, are living away from home for the first time.

At the beginning of the spring semester, Jones helped plan a welcome back bash, which was well attended.

“It’s fun that you get to create your own programs,” she said. “I really like making things, and I like helping people. This is a good way to help.”

Enrolling at UHV wasn’t Jones’ first plan. Originally, Jones wanted to attend UH. However, through the Advancement Via Individual Determination program in high school, Jones learned about UHV and all it had to offer.

Creative writing, which is Jones’ lifelong passion, is a top-notch degree program at the school, she said.

“Writing is something that’s fun for me,” she said. “You can use your imagination and share it with other people. I think writing would be a great way to make a living.”

Jones said her options for a creative writing career are limitless. She is open to earning a master’s degree but also will consider immediately jumping into the workforce by working for a newspaper or magazine, script writing for a show or writing her own novels.

“I just think there is a lot you can do; it’s not just one specific thing,” she said. “You can do so much with a creative writing degree.”

I am a Jaguar is an online feature highlighting the exceptional students who attend the University of Houston-Victoria. To nominate a student, contact Jeremy Shapiro, UHV communications manager, or call 361-570-4296.