As the senior grade dean, senior program coordinator, co-robotics coach, JV softball coach, and now a college counselor, CJ Jones Eckhardt has deeply immersed herself into the community. She states, “I love all of what I am doing so far. I’m in a great spot at this place at Blake, and when I’m passionate about something I give it everything I got. I have so much support here and I haven’t felt like I’m in a place where I’m alone.” She strives to create a meaningful impact on the lives of the students.
Before assuming her role in admissions, she originally thought she would become a college counselor, but her journey took her in another direction. With her previous experience as a college admissions officer at DePaul University and Hamline University, it only seemed fitting for her to support students during their college process for the next few years. She expresses, “I’m excited because being a grade dean it’s very instinctual for me. I live to support young people and make sure that you guys can be in a space where you’re confident, you feel heard, and you’re successful. The college counseling piece also then extends to making sure that you are good after [high school].”
Jones Eckhardt was one of the first Blake faces for many of the students who have her as their college counselor. It feels as if it has come full circle. Molly Haag ‘22, one of the students who Jones Eckhardt’s admitted and assigned to her for college counseling, shares her experience, “I think she’s a great person, and she’ll definitely be a good college counselor. She sold me about going to Blake, I trust her helping me through the college process. She’s a big reason I came to Blake. She very much helped with my transition, and introduced me to students and other people.”
Jones Eckhardt advises the Class of ‘22 “to remain flexible. To really open your mind to all of the possibilities and options out there because a lot of the time we only know so much… The most exciting part of this is the opportunity of choice.”
