The Wolverine

June July 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/982919

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 16 of 67

JUNE/JULY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 17   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS On April 1, Michigan rowing senior coxswain Alexis Jones received one of the most unique and prestigious awards in collegiate athletics — the Bonderman Fellowship. The accolade is only handed out by two universities — Michigan and Wash- ington — and offers four College of Lit- erature, Science and the Arts graduat- ing seniors $20,000 to travel the world over the course of eight months. Although the award may not be well known, it had nonetheless been on Jones' radar. "My freshman year R.A. [resident advi- sor] at Michigan had actually won it," she recalled. "Since then, it had been a dream of mine, but not an aspiration. When I found out I'd received it, I was in shock and still kind of am. "The fact that I'll be able to travel the world is an amazing feeling, and I'm so grateful and appreciative of the op- portunity." The accolade states that students must "travel to at least two regions of the world and six countries," and Jones already has a few destinations in mind. "My plan is to spend four months in South America and four months in Eastern Europe," she revealed. "I'd like to start in Brazil and then visit Bolivia, Argentina and Chile, and then go to Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and end in Greece. "I'm really into backpacking and hiking, so that's why I want to go to South America in the summer. I chose Eastern Europe because not as many people who win the award go there, and I wanted to do something a little different. I've also always wanted to visit Hungary, Croatia and Greece, and figured this would be a great way to do it all in one swoop." Jones graduated from Michigan April 28, receiving her degree with a major in biochemistry and a minor in Latin. "I always knew I wanted to go into science, and I did an internship in a biochem- istry lab in high school. That solidified it for me," she recalled. "I took Latin in high school, too, and once I got to Michigan, they told me I only needed five more classes to get a minor in it." Though she already has her degree in hand, Jones said the feeling hasn't quite sunk in yet, simply because her rowing campaign is still raging on. The Wol- verines concluded their regular season against Louisville at home April 29 and finished second at the Big Ten Championships May 13. "Because we still have some of the year left, I feel like my time here isn't over yet," she admitted. "I still have more I want to accomplish. We've had our ups and downs this year, just as we do every season. "I'm excited to see what happens at the NCAA Championships [May 25-27 in Sarasota, Fla.], though, just because I know what we're capable of. We're defi- nitely on an upward trajectory." While Jones and the Wolverines will be looking to close the year strongly at the event in late May, she has an idea of what she'd like to do once her collegiate rowing days are over. "My plan is to eventually go to medical school," she said. "I'll apply once I get back from my travels, but part of me thinks that plan could potentially change. "That would be all right, though, because I'm very open-minded to changes." — Austin Fox Student-Athlete Of The Month Rowing Senior Coxswain Alexis Jones Jones is a recipient of the Bonderman Fellowship, which offers four College of Literature, Science and the Arts graduating seniors $20,000 to travel the world over the course of eight months. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Michigan Sportula $ 14 95 Plus $6.50 S&H NC, IN & MI Residents add sales tax THE WOLVERINE PO BOX 2331 DURHAM, NC 27702 1-800- 421-7751 Visit our online store: TheWolverineOnDemand.com Great Father's Day Gift! Item #1220 WHILE SUPPLY LASTS! (Reg $24.95)

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of The Wolverine - June July 2018