Claudia Jones

Student

“I think our team is looking pretty good this year.”

It’s a long way from Honduras to playing Division One basketball at a four-year college. But Claudia Jones feels that the opportunity is going to be there for her. Her voice is a little sad at the moment, though. She’s just watched her Lakers go down to defeat in a play-off game. “They looked a little tired, didn’t they?” says Claudia.

But Claudia’s own prospects seem bright. She arrived in Los Angeles from Honduras when she was just seven, the first of her family to come stateside. Her family eventually followed. “But by then, English was my language,” says Claudia. “So I never spoke Spanish as much as the rest of the family.”

Watching her mother work full time, raise the children and go to school inspired Claudia with her own educational goals. “I love my English class,” she says. “I really want to build my vocabulary and be able to speak easily.” Claudia hopes to one day work with pre-school kids, possibly in her native Honduras. “I like the people at home a lot,” she says. “They’re all just a lot like family to each other. And someday, I’d like to be able to make a difference for them.”

But just now there’s a basketball career to consider. And a coach who’s convinced that Claudia is definitely Division One material. Claudia, it seems, likes to see the points go up on the board. “I love the offense,” she says with a laugh, “I guess I just like to hustle a lot.”

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