Dr. Estella Jones became the first Black female veterinarian in the U.S. Public Health Service to be promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral and the role of Assistant Surgeon General.
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At 29:30 · chapter starts 18:17
Dr. Estella Jones opens by establishing the depth of her starting conditions: parents who couldn't vote, a mother who scrubbed floors so she could take piano lessons, a father who shined a general's shoes. Her school in Columbus, Ohio, was built for 700 students and housed 1,600. [1] — Dr. Estella Jones "School built for 700, housed 1,600: Dr. Estella Jones attended a Columbus, Ohio public school built for 700 students but housing 1,600, con…" 19:06 By 12, she was going down the wrong path — until a teacher named Dr. Charles Tennant told her: 'Nothing is impossible unless you succumb to it.' By 14, she had won a scholarship to Emma Willard. She worked as a bartender, skycap, and slaughter inspector before applying to LSU vet school against 10-to-1 odds. [2] — Dr. Estella Jones "Vet school odds: 10 to 1: Dr. Estella Jones overcame 10-to-1 odds of admission to veterinary school at LSU, despite financial hardship, a y…" 21:20 Once there, she set her sights on primate medicine — and decided to pursue it in Africa. The obstacles were formidable: no money, a three-year-old daughter, and an ex-husband following her with a gun. She used every skycap airline mile she'd accumulated and flew to Kenya for a preceptorship at the Institute for Primate Research. Staff there warned her never to walk to work with colleagues faster than her — old lions from the adjacent national park occasionally strayed over the fence. [3] — Dr. Estella Jones "At the Institute for Primate Research, staff warned Dr. Estella Jones to always walk to work in a group — and never with anyone faster than…" 22:55 A visit to a conservatory in Nanyuki gave her the epiphany: veterinarians are responsible for every species on earth, and no two are alike. A safari there showed her animals that were free — and reminded her of what freedom felt like. She returned to the US no longer afraid of her ex-husband and determined to pass that freedom on to her daughter. [4] — Dr. Estella Jones "Dr. Estella Jones's father shined a one-star general's shoes for a living. He lived to see his daughter pin on that same star as a Rear Adm…" 29:46 Her father, who had shined a one-star general's shoes for a living, lived to see her pin on her own star as a Rear Admiral. He died of COVID in 2021. She now carries his shoes, a symbol of dreams she intends to pass forward.
Dr. Estella Jones grew up in poverty in Columbus, Ohio, attending a school built for 700 that housed 1,600. By age 12 she was going down the wrong path. Her 7th-grade teacher Dr. Charles Tennant pulled her back with a single line: 'Nothing is impossible unless you succumb to it.' By 14, she had turned her life around and won a scholarship to Emma Willard.
Dr. Estella Jones attended a Columbus, Ohio public school built for 700 students but housing 1,600, contributing to a difficult environment that nearly sent her down the wrong path at age 12.
Dr. Estella Jones overcame 10-to-1 odds of admission to veterinary school at LSU, despite financial hardship, a young child, and a threatening ex-husband.
With a threatening ex-husband, a 3-year-old daughter, no money, and a spot at the Institute for Primate Research in Nairobi, Dr. Estella Jones burned every skycap airline mile she had and flew to Africa. It was the most dangerous, transformative decision of her life.
At the Institute for Primate Research, staff warned Dr. Estella Jones to always walk to work in a group — and never with anyone faster than her. Old lions from the adjacent national park occasionally strayed over the fence. The warning was completely serious.
Watching wild animals roam free across 1,200 acres while knowing what it felt like to be trapped, Dr. Estella Jones had an epiphany. She returned from Africa no longer afraid of her threatening ex-husband and determined to pass that freedom on to her daughter.
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