Tyler Jones, Centenary College, Men's Golf - SCAC Character & Community Recipient
TYLER JONES OF CENTENARY COLLEGE, a senior on the men's golf team from Stonewall, La., has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Character and Community Male Student Athlete of the Week for the week beginning February 3.
TYLER JONES OF CENTENARY COLLEGE, a senior on the men's golf team from Stonewall, La., has been selected the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Character and Community Male Student Athlete of the Week for the week beginning February 3.
The SCAC Character & Community award honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and also serve their campus and community.
Tyler Jones is quiet by nature, but says a lot through his many meaningful and impactful actions on and off the golf course.
Tyler, a senior on the men's golf team, has thrived and grown at Centenary and credits a lot of that to him getting involved in the local community and also to his head coach Emlyn Aubrey.
"During the fall semester of 2024, I took a community service class. I completed 30 hours of community service during that class of which 14 of those hours were completed at Junior Achievement and 16 at Common Ground, both located in Shreveport.
"At Junior Achievement, I did a lot of office work because I couldn't go into the schools and make a difference due to my athletic and class schedule. So, instead, I built new kits to be taken into classes, broke down used kits, and organized them into filing cabinets.
"At Common Ground, I had more hands-on community service. Every Thursday, Common Ground has a canned food drive. But they do it very differently compared to other food drives as there the people who visit get to pick the food they want. I was one of the volunteers there that walked around with folks and helped them, by either holding the bag or helping them choose the items. Also, through Common Ground, I helped plant trees in the community garden, picked up cans from schools, and organized those cans to help put them on shelves faster."
"Coming out of school I wasn't sure what I wanted to do in my life, whether I wanted to go into a trade or go to college. But being an above-average golfer helped me make that decision. I got a few offers out of high school to play college golf and was very thankful for every offer I got. But a few things made me want to attend the Centenary. Coach Emlyn was the main one and Centenary was very high in academics, and the opportunity to play golf at the next level and only 30 minutes from my house. I prayed over this decision for almost a year and this made my decision very clear. Now in the middle of my senior year, I would go back and choose centenary 100 times out of 100. Due to the friends I made at the school, my teammates, and especially Coach Emlyn as well."
"Honestly, I didn't know much about this award till I was nominated for it by my Coach. It feels great to be featured for this award now. I was always taught, "Do what's right, even when no one is watching." Not only does this build integrity, but makes you a better person. My community service hours did come from a class requirement, but I enjoyed helping make a difference in the community I grew up in."
"My favorite quote I heard is from professional golfer Jon Rahm, 'Be a goldfish.' Goldfish live the happiest lives, they only have a 15-second memory. If you strive to do that, your temper will go down, and you will finally be able to put your head down and achieve what's ahead."
Thankfully for Tyler, his great work at both Common Ground and Junior Achievement and beyond will surely be remembered for more than 15 seconds.
