Julian D. Jones, a UNCF/Koch Scholars alum, graduated from Western Carolina University in December 2015 with degrees in business administration and law and finance.
What got you interested in your field of study?
I initially chose finance because I believed that if you could influence the way a person thinks about money, then you could change their life forever. My initial challenge was that I have never made better than a D in math, but my passion to help people as I was helped surpassed that shortcoming. My goal was to learn as much as I could and then share it with the community—churches, friends, and people just trying to make it. As for my business degree, business and wealth building have always been passions of mine. As a child I would often think that instead of playing, I could be making money. When I discovered that I could double major in business and finance, it was like a dream come true. One of my reasons for starting a successful business is so that I can be in a position to make others’ dreams come true. My favorite poem by Langston Hughes, “Harlem,” talks about the emptiness of life without dreams. Life was designed to enjoy, and the way to do that is by living the life of your dreams.
Has a book ever changed your life?
There is one book that has most impacted my life. This may sound clichéd, but it’s true. The Holy Bible has reshaped my thinking. Before, my life was unfruitful and directionless, but since I began reading the Bible years ago, success is my norm. You are reading this today because of principles I’ve learned reading this invaluable text.
What about a place you’ve traveled or an experience you’ve had that changed or challenged your thinking?
Meeting my mentor, Joseph Hackett, and learning submission to leadership and order has challenged and changed everything in my world. It is impossible to succeed without submission. Doctors submit to years of reading and practice, gold medalists submit to coaches, employees submit to bosses, and every day we all submit to laws. Living by my own rules produced unnecessary pain, but the moment I began listening to the mistakes of others, I stopped repeating them. Leadership and order has impacted my life so much that my mentor and I developed a program, Accelerate Your Life, that teaches individuals how to be personally successful using submission as one of its guiding principles.
What’s the one piece of advice you’ve taken to heart—from a parent, grandparent, teacher, or other person in your life?
The one piece of advice that changed everything for me is something my mom began telling me and my brother as children: “Nothing is impossible.” I believed her, and I still do. Today, I have achieved the impossible because of her.
What do you want to be known for?
I want to be known for being the shoulders a nation and generations of people stand on to bring them steps closer to living the life of their dreams.
