After attending Hopkinsville Community College and the University of Kentucky, Hopkinsville native Montréale Jones is preparing to continue his academic career at Harvard University’s architecture master’s program in the fall.
Jones was born and raised in Hopkinsville and graduated from Christian County High School. Jones attended Hopkinsville Community College and then received a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a graduate degree in urban and environmental design at the University of Kentucky.
At 9 years old, Jones says he knew he wanted to be an architect. As a child he says he would take items from across the house and craft little structures out of them, and looking back he says those crafts led to his current trajectory.
Following his master’s program at the University of Kentucky, Jones worked at an international architecture firm in New York. At the firm, Jones worked on architecture projects for airports, high-rises and the National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. Jones says he has always wanted to spotlight the African-American community in his work and was honored to be a part of the museum project.
Jones says he decided to apply to Harvard to continue his studies and one day become a fully licensed architect. Jones received a full-ride scholarship for the 3-and-a-half-year program and says applying to Harvard was no easy task and he had to reflect on all of the work and schooling he had done over the last decade.
Jones says Hopkinsville is home to many success stories and he hopes that by sharing his story he can inspire other adults and youth thinking about pursuing higher education.
For those who have big aspirations, Jones says people have to take action to achieve their dreams because without actions dreams will remain dreams.
Following the master’s program, Jones says he wants to explore the design field and one day return to Hopkinsville and work in the community he grew up in.