Alumni Ambassador Alison Jones credits her time as an English Language Fellow in Turkiye in 2003-2004 with helping her carve out her career path. “My time as a Fellow in Turkiye, which came in the early years of my teaching career, solidified my skills as a TEFL teacher and broadened my experience as a presenter and trainer,” Jones said. “It gave me the confidence and the resume to continue to do the international work that I love, which is aimed at peacebuilding through teaching and training.”
The through line of Jones’ career—beginning with her multifaceted work as a Fellow, in which she was able to pursue a variety of teaching projects, to her subsequent roles working both at home in public schools and universities and overseas—has now led to her current pursuit of a degree in peacebuilding. As she wraps up her year as an Alumni Ambassador and begins work on her master’s degree in Humanitarian Action and Conflict at Uppsala University in Sweden, Jones is taking a leave from her teaching duties with Minneapolis Public Schools. “I’m really looking forward to learning more about peacebuilding and expanding my career,” Jones said, adding that she was also excited for her 13-year-old son, who will accompany her on the journey, to experience being a second-language learner in Sweden.
As a Fellow in Turkiye, Jones’ primary duties were teaching Speaking and Vocabulary courses at her host institution, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University. For her secondary duties, Jones participated in the Poetry Club and helped with the Volleyball Club. “I made good friendships with several of my Turkish and American colleagues from my time as a Fellow, and I maintain those friendships and also network with them when needed for career pursuits,” Jones said.
A highlight of Jones’ time in Turkiye was having her mother and father visit and seeing the warm welcome they received. “My mother told me that of all their extensive travels, her favorite trip was visiting me in Turkiye because of the time she got to spend with people I knew and learning about Turkiye from them,” Jones explained. One day, while Jones was busy teaching, some of her students took her parents around town and showed them the museums and favorite spots. When Jones took her parents to visit Istanbul, the hotel manager of the hotel she often stayed at saved the room with the best view for her folks. When her parents boarded the ‘dolmus’ (small van) without her—on the route Jones took to work each day—the driver said, ‘You are Alison’s parents?! Welcome to Turkiye!’ “My parents were treated like visiting royalty. My mom spoke about that trip for years after,” Jones said. “The lovely hospitality is the most wonderful thing I remember about Turkiye.”
Jones teaching one of her local students in the Minneapolis Academic Credit Recovery School
Following her fellowship, Jones taught English language learners in local public schools in the Twin Cities, and continued seeking more international experiences. Through a program with Kansas State University, she spent a year at Balkh University in Afghanistan teaching and training English teachers and developing curriculum. Jones continued her work in this vein, first training members of the Iraqi military to be English teachers while working for a defense contractor in Iraq, and then teaching English to Kuwaiti military personnel based in Oklahoma. “After being a Fellow, I was able to take on new international roles that I don’t think I would have gotten if I didn’t have the fellowship on my resume,” Jones noted. Back home, Jones took on yet another new role as lecturer in Hamline University’s TEFLA program.
For over twenty years, Jones has worked with English language learners of all ages in a variety of roles with the Minneapolis public school system. Currently, as an Itinerant Multilingual Teacher, she works with students at five different alternative schools, including at hospitals and academic credit recovery programs, and in indigenous communities. “I love having to think on my feet and adapt to different teaching situations and meet the different needs of the students and the programs they’re in,” Jones said.
Jones at TESOL Long Beach 2025: meeting prospective applicants at the booth (left), spending time with members of her Alumni Ambassador cohort (right)
As an Alumni Ambassador, Jones has deepened her connections to the English Language Programs community and broadened her professional network. Best of all, she’s inspired new educators. At the 2024 MELEd Conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, Jones joined English Language Programs staff to promote the program, building a list of nearly thirty prospective applicants over the course of a busy weekend. “Because being a Fellow had such an impact on my career path, I wanted to tell others about this amazing opportunity,” Jones said. “In my work in public schools, I see people who want to try something new and broaden and share their skills, and I want to make sure that they know about different ways of doing that.”
Stay tuned for our next featured Alumni Ambassador story with Robbieana Leung.