A'dja Jones and Manuela Ngo Tonye Nyemeck

[00:01] A'DJA JONES: Hello. My name is Manuela Ngo Tonye Nyemeck but people call me Manuela I am 21 years of age. Today's date is Wednesday, May 11, 2022. We are at the Ozarks, Missouri, and I'm here with my interview, my mentoring and advisor, A'dja Jones. Not mentoring, mentor.

[00:25] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: My name is A'dja Jones. I am 33 years old. Today is Wednesday, May 11 11th, 2022. We are in the Ozarks location in Missouri. I'm here with Manuela Ngo Tonye Nyemeck who is my advisee, one of the student athletes that I work with. All right.

[00:45] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[00:46] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: So, okay, let's just get straight down to it. I haven't seen you all day.

[00:49] A'DJA JONES: I know.

[00:49] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I think I saw you in the stairwell earlier.

[00:51] A'DJA JONES: Very much.

[00:52] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah. How was your day? What was going on? Actually, where were you headed when I saw you?

[00:57] A'DJA JONES: I was headed to class. Okay, so let's start how my day was. Okay. Wednesdays are my busiest days. You know that. So I have my chemistry final this morning. How do I think that went? A c. Because it's what I needed to get the grade that I wanted.

[01:15] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: We're going for that.

[01:16] A'DJA JONES: So. Yeah. So I will hear later on today about that. And then I had a little break. I went home. I wanted to, like, make some food. A'dja Okay, so you know how, like, I didn't buy a parking pass this year?

[01:32] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, yeah.

[01:32] A'DJA JONES: Okay.

[01:33] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yes.

[01:33] A'DJA JONES: And I woke up a tad bit late for my final. I was supposed to.

[01:38] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Manuela Ngo Tonye Nyemeck

[01:38] A'DJA JONES: So, yes, I had. You know how I walk everywhere, but today I had to drive to campus because I didn't want to be late for my final. So I parked on campus, and as I was walking up the stairs to go to class, I was praying, dear God, please don't get my car towed or get a boot. So I was worried about that. I was thinking my final. And as I'm walking back, I'm taking my time walking back, because I was like, oh. Like, that test was, like, so hard. I'm trying to relax already and worry about the next thing. And then I'm walking out of the temple hall.

[02:12] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Mm hmm.

[02:13] A'DJA JONES: And I'm, like, looking at my car, and I see the ticket people, like, 2ft away. So, A'dja I book it down the stairs. Like, I'm on the fourth floor. Like, I'm running, running, trying to catch my car as to where they don't give me a ticket or see that I parked there with no pass. So, like, I walk. I walk. I walk up to the person. I'm like, hey, good morning. How are you? Hope you're having a good day. He goes, you as well, because he didn't see my car.

[02:42] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, my gosh.

[02:44] A'DJA JONES: I get in my car and like, I put my hand up to the glass so he wouldn't see the parking cuz I don't have anything. So I'm like stretching and like hiding it, and I wave at him, like, have a good day.

[02:57] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: So you evaded very.

[02:59] A'DJA JONES: It was like two. He was 2ft away from my car. And then. Yeah, and then I went to. Honestly, I went to your office today because I wanted to talk about what happened.

[03:11] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yes.

[03:11] A'DJA JONES: You weren't there. You went on a walk, which was good. So I just stayed in foresight for a little bit. And then I went to physiology, which was good. I talked to my teacher about me taking my exam tomorrow. He said I have to take it after the lecture final on Monday.

[03:27] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah. Aren't you leaving tomorrow?

[03:28] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, we're leaving out like 09:00 a.m. okay. Yeah. So he's like, yeah, I have to take it on Monday because he doesn't want me to cheat.

[03:36] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Fair.

[03:36] A'DJA JONES: But like, he also doesn't want me to take the exam, like, when I'm driving because the Wi Fi is gonna.

[03:42] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Be like, yeah, it's a little sketchy sucky.

[03:43] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I went to kin 360.

[03:49] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah, we don't talk about that one very much. Tv.

[03:52] A'DJA JONES: No, it was the last class that I had, the lecture exam. The lecture class, not the exam today. It was the last one of the semester. It was good. It was actually fun. He tried to make jokes. We kicked a little bit.

[04:06] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, my God.

[04:07] A'DJA JONES: And, yeah, that was about it. That was my day. And then I went to the lab, and then I came here.

[04:14] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, great.

[04:15] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. How was your day, A'dja

[04:16] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: It was pretty good, honestly. Well, I got to see you. I'm sad that I missed you while I went to go for a walk. It was a little roasty toasty this morning, but spent a lot of time outside today, which was nice. And then I got to work on kind of some student athlete development programming, which is super exciting because I didn't have as many students come in today. Yeah, because we're wrapping up in finals and everything is happening soon. So I actually had a chance to kind of sit down and think about. About, like, stuff we want to see happen in the fall and, like, what do we want to see? New initiatives and all of that. So that was really good. And then I had a really important meeting that I was obviously a little late coming from, which it kind of throws off your day a little bit. But for the most part, it was really good. But, yeah, it was nice. It was a good day. It was a good day. It's kind of weird that we're at the end of the semester already.

[05:04] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[05:04] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Cause I feel like it was just January. Very much so. I'm not sure where the time went, but.

[05:10] A'DJA JONES: But it's still dragging a little bit. I will say.

[05:13] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I mean. I mean, realistically, though, what do you have left because you're leaving tomorrow.

[05:18] A'DJA JONES: Very true. For conference.

[05:21] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay. Yeah. Tell me about how excited you are about that. Let's talk about that.

[05:25] A'DJA JONES: I'm very excited. I will say I'm very grateful that I made it to conference because I had a rough beginning of the school year, especially with track and field.

[05:33] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay.

[05:33] A'DJA JONES: But this time I'm ready. I'm hyped. I'm ready to get the time that I want. And, you know, honestly, all day, I think I was a little bit anxious because I hadn't seen how, like, what the heat sheets were yet. And then he finally sent it, and I looked at it, and then I saw who I was running with, and then I was like, don't go look at their times. You don't need to do that. But what did Manuela do? Oh, Manuela very much went to Tvers and looked up their. Did that make me more anxious? Very much. Did I breathe through it? Yes, I did.

[06:12] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Good.

[06:12] A'DJA JONES: I will say I am a little bit scared, but I think it's good. Like coach t always tells us, being anxious, being scared is good. That means we want this. We're here for that. So, yeah, I'm very excited. I am. And I don't really have that many classes tomorrow. I only have one, which was. I was going to take the lab examined, but, yeah, I was gonna have a free day tomorrow anyway. But, yeah, we're gonna be on the bus for, like, 6 hours.

[06:37] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah. Where are you all going?

[06:39] A'DJA JONES: We're going to Drake University.

[06:40] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: To Drake. Okay.

[06:42] A'DJA JONES: I don't think we're stopping for lunch. I think we're picking it up and going. And then they said we're gonna shake out when we get there. Cause we're supposed to get there at like five or not even like three, four if we're leaving at nine.

[06:57] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I have no idea. I'm directionally challenged.

[06:59] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. So I'm assuming I was doing that. We get there and then get to shake out, but I'm very hyped, and I was a little bit scared because Drake had a Covid scare and like, yeah, I don't know if you heard.

[07:13] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: But, like.

[07:14] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, so they, like, I think they let their students out of school early. At least the dorm people got kicked out because, like, cases were rising.

[07:24] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Are we talking about, like, this week?

[07:27] A'DJA JONES: No. Okay.

[07:28] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I was like, y'all shouldn't be heading up there.

[07:30] A'DJA JONES: No, no. Last week, it was around the time that Drake relays happens, because I realize that now that Drake relays is a thing for track, but it's a big thing around, like, the whole campus all weekend. Like, there's concerts and, like, they do food festivals and stuff like that on top of their relays.

[07:47] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay.

[07:47] A'DJA JONES: So a lot of people come down and, like, visit Drake and, like, hang out and stuff like that. So I'm assuming that's why the COVID cases went up. But, um, coach T. Told us that we have all the precautions that we need, and, like, we're gonna take more if we need to. And then they said, I think masks are gonna be mandatory when we go inside the buildings, but we're gonna be outside most of the day and in.

[08:11] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Our, like, tent area, so, yeah, that's a little scary.

[08:16] A'DJA JONES: Very much because, like, we're in the stage of life where it's, like, Covid is kind of leaving, but then, no, it's very much still there, you know?

[08:27] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[08:27] A'DJA JONES: Like, we're at, like, I feel like, with masks right now, we, like, I think it's still. Man. It should be a mandatory thing for the person. But, like, we're so used, like, us being around campus, especially, like, since our campus lifted it, so we're just so used to, like, not having it on anymore and being at practice, because we all, like, either got vaccinated or get our weekly tests and stuff, so it just feels free. But then we're gonna have to, like, go back to that, like, you need to beware type of mentality. So it's a little scary.

[09:00] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah, it's kind of wild to think about kind of where we're at, because that. I mean, that has been two years living with it. Right. And so many things have changed back and forth, but, yeah, if you're used to, like, no masks and, like, really no restrictions, and then you have to go in and, oh, don't forget your mask, because now I'm scared like, that I don't have one on me, so I make sure that I carry it around, like, all the time.

[09:22] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, it used to be, like, a hair tie for me, but then, oh.

[09:25] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Now it's a mess.

[09:26] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, but it's a mask. But, like, it's always been, like, around here.

[09:30] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah. You've come in with, like, the office with that.

[09:32] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, it was always around me, but then it's, like, slowly. Not anymore.

[09:36] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah, it's kind of wild. So are you still. I mean, you kind of mentioned that you were kind of worried about, like, Covid and stuff. Like, do you feel like your mindset has really changed now that we're kind of in a man? It's almost like we're managing it. It's not gone right.

[09:49] A'DJA JONES: So I feel like right now I'm not as worried about it anymore. I think I'm not worried about it as much anymore is because I'm not home. Like, back in Kansas City.

[10:00] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay.

[10:01] A'DJA JONES: Because my dad is, like, he has skin cancer, but he's, like, in a remission right now, but still, like, his health is, like, you know, he's not at his. He's not the 100% sure. So, like, we have to, like, his immune system is very weak. So especially during that time, it was when, like, oh, we really need to be careful around him. We need to be careful. Yes, but, like, especially around him. Like, we just need to be aware. But now that I'm in Springfield and in college and I don't have to, like, worry about my dad being home or I'm just living with my roommates or some friends, like, I still worry about it when we go to, like, grocery stores or if we're, like, in a big setting, but not as much as I would if I were back.

[10:44] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: If you were home? Yeah. No, that's understandable. I guess it's kind of different for folks who do have family members who might be, you know, their immune system might be down or they might be sick and stuff.

[10:53] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[10:54] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Because it's kind of easy to. Now that all of our restrictions are kind of, you know, gone, at least at the university, it kind of does feel like, oh, yeah, we're over it. It's fine. And then you're like, oh, no, nope, nope.

[11:05] A'DJA JONES: There's just that one method that's, like, master mandatory again.

[11:08] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: It's like, oh, oh, no, no. We're still living in a pandemic.

[11:10] A'DJA JONES: Very true. And it's fruits. I forget sometimes.

[11:14] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I know. Yeah, it was. I feel like it took over our lives for a very good chunk of time. Really? A good chunk of your college career. Let's talk about that for a second. Actually, now that I'm thinking about that, because you came in at, what, 2019? Oh, my gosh. It was a long time.

[11:30] A'DJA JONES: And this is how I think of it. Like, it was like, three years ago almost, that I came. That I first entered Missouri State, but I was the last class of high school to have anything normal, like prom, graduation.

[11:47] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I didn't even think about that.

[11:48] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. Like, I was the last class to have anything, like, back to normal or just regular.

[11:54] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[11:54] A'DJA JONES: And then I came into college, and I remembered we just got done with indoor conference. We were ready to be savage. Outdoor course, of course. Like, kill it. And then it came at a time in, like, march. Okay. Honestly, Covid-19 started, I want to say, December 2019.

[12:14] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I think it was around then. We didn't quite know what it was.

[12:17] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. And I didn't really pay attention to it. And it's kind of, like, the CDC talked about it a lot, but it wasn't, like, break. It was breaking news.

[12:25] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: But then, like, in the US.

[12:27] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. And then it's. I mean, it's sad to say, but we don't really worry about stuff unless it, like, affects us or surround us, so it was insane. It was crazy. And then, like, when March came around and it was about to be spring break, and we're, like, hearing of all these schools shutting down, like, okay, this might be something serious, but I'm like, these things happen so often around the US. It's not gonna happen to us. You know?

[12:49] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[12:50] A'DJA JONES: And then, like, cases were rising in, like, California and New York. I'm like, I'm in the Midwest. Like, it's not. Like, it's not gonna come get us. And then I. The day before, we. No, I think we at school, like, let out early, like, on a Friday or something, and we get to have classes. And then we had maybe our last practice ever, and we were just like, oh, no. But then we were like, we're gonna come back in, like, two weeks, right?

[13:20] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Because it wasn't that around spring break.

[13:22] A'DJA JONES: The Friday before spring break, before spring break. So for us, we were like, oh, this is sad, but come on, we're gonna be back in, like, maybe a month. Like, this is not, like, gonna be a big deal. And then I remember a lot of us went home, and we were just like, we'll see you guys later. Like, we'll. We'll be around each other. Be safe, though. Stuff like that. And then we went home, and I remember I was talking to my parents. I was like, I may be here for more than a week, but, like, don't get excited. I may be leaving in, like, two weeks, mom. And, you know, and I loved being home. But then when you got. Once you get that taste of freedom, it's like, okay, like, I love you very much, mom, but I'm ready to go.

[14:04] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yep.

[14:04] A'DJA JONES: And then two weeks came, and then president smart sent an email. Is like, we're gonna be home for, I mean, for like, two more weeks. And then it wasn't until like a month later I would say that, like, we were indefinitely out of school.

[14:19] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yep.

[14:20] A'DJA JONES: And it was insane because you were texting me about classes and stuff like that. And we were, like, texting with the coaches. We had no idea what was going to happen. Like, no idea. And then, um, I heard about cases going around. It was getting scary. But I still, I mean, I don't know if this is just selfish to say, but I still didn't feel, like, fear because it didn't happen around anybody that I knew.

[14:45] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah, that makes sense.

[14:47] A'DJA JONES: It was just like, okay, let's be careful. But, like, we're just here, you know? And then, yeah. And it's just been like that. And then ever since, it's been like that. And then we had summertime, and in summertime, we had to come out a little bit, but we couldn't go too close to people. And it was so weird because it was around the time that friends came around, but they stayed in the driveway and was like, oh, yeah, the driveway. And I'm like, there's no way this is happening right now. And then one thing that I went through a lot is that I missed home. Like, I miss Cameroon a lot. And I was wondering, like, how are they handling it? Because I know they don't have as good as, like, equipped safety equipment. Take care of them like we do here. Like, they don't have that health care benefit like we do. Like, how's my only living grandparent doing? So all those thoughts were, like, roaming around my head. And I want to say that track and field was the last thing that I ever thought about until I found myself at home making way too much banana bread, eating it so often that I'm like, I should probably get back to running. Oh, my gosh. Sorry that took a turn.

[15:59] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: But no, I appreciate the honesty there.

[16:03] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. How did it go for you?

[16:06] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: It's so weird to think about because I think we were all, I think we were all just in a state of kind of shock. Right. Okay. Everything we, I think we had, like, swimming and diving championships in December.

[16:18] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[16:18] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And I remember people coming back sick from that. Like, staff members and were like, oh, no. Like, the flu. Gotcha. Like, oh, you know, the crud. Cause it was like a number of people and so then, you know, fast forward a couple of months and we're hearing about, you know, Covid-19 and all of this. But again, like you said, it's not really realistic until you either you see it or it's, you know, it's somewhere and it's in your state or whatever. And so we're just like, oh, things are getting kind of bad around, you know, around the world. Like, that's unfortunate. And then all of a sudden, yeah, spring break. And we're like, okay, this is a real thing. And then we're wondering, like, did the people who just came back from the swimming diving championships, did they have this, like, do we really know kind of what this entails? And then really, the biggest thing was just how to navigate education.

[17:03] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[17:04] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Too, because, like, none of us have ever experienced. Well, I mean, I guess I can't speak for everybody, but I don't. I don't think, you know, working through a pandemic was something that any of us were prepared for a job. So there was no, like, manual or, like, how to. Right. So it's like, how do we make sure that our students are okay and also still getting an education that they're paying for and all of these things? And then on top of that, I'm just like, what do you mean? Work from home as, like, an athletic advisor, where my entire job is, like, getting to see you all every day. So then I think. I think that was the toughest part, was, like, I just kind of questioned, number one, you're worried about, like, your family members and all of this happening. You're not really sure. But then throughout the time, I was like, I don't even. I don't even know who I am. Like, there was some, like, existential crisis because I'm like, what really matters? Right.

[17:50] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[17:51] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Cause you're just thinking about all these things differently. Because sometimes it's easy to just go through life.

[17:56] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[17:56] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And go through. And, like, every day.

[17:57] A'DJA JONES: Right.

[17:57] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: You get up and you go to school or you go to practice, or I get up and I go to work and I complain. I didn't have enough coffee, and everything was like, you know, like, does this stuff even matter? What matters?

[18:07] A'DJA JONES: The little things?

[18:08] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yes. And so you just didn't realize how big of a deal it was until, you know, you saw the numbers rise. And then it really was an opportunity for me to finally get out and walk a little bit, because I definitely did do that before the pandemic and really just kind of question and think about what really matters and who really matters and stuff like that, too, so. Yeah, just wild stuff.

[18:30] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. I'm glad you said that because I feel like we as obviously, I'm your student athlete, but we never realized how much, like, or we never don't want to say. We never appreciate. We do never realize how much behind the scenes stuff you guys go through. Like, now that I think about it, I bet, like, that pandemic time, like, you guys taking care of, like, us moving over and, like, even passing classes and, like, taking care of, like, the little things. NCAA stuff and NCAA stuff are huge already, but adding a pandemic to it, that's insane.

[19:08] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: It was wild.

[19:08] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, you guys were troopers for that.

[19:10] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I mean, y'all are the real MVP's because I probably would have just dropped out of school completely because who wants to do that during the pandemic?

[19:16] A'DJA JONES: And I will say I thought about it a lot.

[19:18] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I'm sure you probably did. I think most people did at that point. No, it was a wild time. Well, and then we had all of the. Not only that pandemic, and then we had n 20, you know, the murder of George Floyd and, like, social justice and the second pandemic, if you will, which just complicated everything, too.

[19:33] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[19:34] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: So it's like, right when we can even start coming back to school and doing the things in a limited capacity, you've got that on top of everything else, too, which it has just been a wild couple of years.

[19:45] A'DJA JONES: And then I want to. And it sucked that, like you said, that second pandemic happened. But I'm, like, grateful in a sense, because it was very eye opening.

[20:00] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yes.

[20:01] A'DJA JONES: Not only for me, but for a lot of people around me. And we realized, like, what's the good energy? What's the negative energy? What do we need or what do we not need? And then personally, myself, like, as the George Floyd murder happened, and then we talked about, like, racism in America. And this is a thought that I've always had. Like, I just never personally related to racism in America because I was born in Cameroon, Africa. I moved to the US when I was ten. So me moving to the US, that was like me figuring out everything in itself. Like, it's a whole new world. And I will say, when we're back in Africa or when I'm in Cameroon, most of us just think about, oh, the furthest we'll go is, like, France because it's right up top. It's Europe, sure. But then crossing the Atlantic Ocean and going to the Americas, that's huge. But to me, it was like, oh, it's huge. I made it. My one goal is to learn how to speak English, master it, and then I'm done. But then there's all these other things that, like, people don't. You can't see in the, like, physically, but they don't realize, like, how much is going on. Like, you really have to learn, like, who you are. And then I even discovered what racism was because I've always been around people that looked like me. People of color.

[21:28] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Right.

[21:28] A'DJA JONES: I mean, granted, my. Some of my brothers are my half brothers, and they look different than me, but I never saw it as different. I saw that as normal. And I thought, oh, people of color can be with white people, and it's normal. So I saw that as normal. But then when we came here and there was these little, like, there's just so much hate, so much history behind the hate, and it's like, whoa, I didn't realize that much. So during the summer of 2020, when it all came about and when the. The deep rooted feelings came about, and I was just, like. I was, like, scared to say that, like, I'm sorry. Sometimes I don't understand what you're really going through.

[22:12] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[22:13] A'DJA JONES: Wow. Like, I visibly can see what you're fighting for, and I'm rooting for that, but I don't, like, feel that deep, emotional like you do. And I feel wrong to say that, like, I'm 100% behind you, because that just feels fake to say, you know?

[22:30] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[22:30] A'DJA JONES: But, yeah, I want to say that. Summer was definitely eye opening. Teachable moment.

[22:36] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yep.

[22:36] A'DJA JONES: And, I mean, it sucks to say that it happened, but it was like, I was grateful because so much knowledge came about and so many, like, new feelings came about that I adapted to.

[22:48] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: That is. Yeah, that is wild. Well, I think it's so easy for folks to look at a person of color or look at a black person and assume that they're, like, american and know exactly what's going on. And so I can only imagine because you're like, wait, what are you talking about?

[23:03] A'DJA JONES: That's what I'm saying.

[23:04] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Slumping me in over here. So, no, I definitely, like, I. I can't imagine that. I think just trying to help our students kind of navigate all of that, and, heck, I've even thought about where in the world do I fit into all of this? Like you said, I think it was very eye opening. The pandemic, realistically, has been going on forever, and the pandemic is racism. Let's just put it out there very much. I've struggled too, because I consider myself a black biracial woman. My mom is white. My dad is black. But no matter what, like, my experience, people see me as, you know, a woman of color, a black woman. And so those are my experiences. But I've had, like, identity crisis, too, because some people are like, oh, you don't understand the experiences. Like, you will never fully. And I'm like, okay, great. And then over here, I'm, like, trying to talk to my mom about how she can't say some of the things that she said, which is we're just not even gonna go there. But I think that was another time where, you know, it was just, like, very self. I know my mom. I love her, but I was like, she'll say something off the wall. And I'm like, mom, can we just. We just have a moment here? Because I'm gonna need you to not say that. Here's why. So I think navigating all of that has been really, really interesting, too. But like you said, we. We needed. We needed something, unfortunately, to happen.

[24:22] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[24:22] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: For us to kind of start to at least address some of those, like.

[24:26] A'DJA JONES: Issues that's been under the rug for years. Yes.

[24:29] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Because some people are like, I had no idea. And it's like, what if we didn't have a video?

[24:34] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[24:34] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Because all of these things have been.

[24:35] A'DJA JONES: Going on forever, but we just haven't seen it. But now that, like, we had that eye opening moment, it's like, wow.

[24:42] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I know.

[24:42] A'DJA JONES: Can't be quiet now.

[24:44] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Although it seems like things have quieted down.

[24:46] A'DJA JONES: It has.

[24:47] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Do you feel like that, too?

[24:48] A'DJA JONES: I do. I do. And I want to say that I feel guilty about it in a sense, because as a person of color, it's like, I know we're not supposed to talk about it. Twenty four seven. And it's on my mind, but, like, when I don't talk about it, then I'm just suppressing it.

[25:13] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Right.

[25:13] A'DJA JONES: You know? And when. I mean, I hate to say it, but it only comes in moments when we have conversations with people or something is brought up and then we actually talk about it or we see something on tv.

[25:27] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[25:28] A'DJA JONES: And that's when it gets to happening. But then that stuff doesn't happen all the time, so we just. We're just very surface. Yeah, I am guilty of that, but.

[25:39] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah, I mean, I think we. We all are. But ideally, it'd be great if we got to a world where, like, none of that mattered. Right. Because, like, yeah. If. If race is never an indicator of any type of, you know, a success or a failure or any of those things. Like, we wouldn't be. Heck, we wouldn't be thinking about it. Right. But it would be for the right reasons, because, like, you know, people have equal opportunities and things like that. So I think it is easy to just kind of go about our daily lives, too. But I think part of the problem there is that you just get used to it.

[26:14] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[26:15] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: The routine. Like, how many people have mispronounced your name?

[26:19] A'DJA JONES: Everyone. Honestly. Every.

[26:21] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Right.

[26:21] A'DJA JONES: I want to say eight in ten.

[26:24] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay.

[26:24] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. And it's also like. And I don't correct them. I don't know why. Which is a struggle that I've had since I was a child or since I moved here, because I'm the type of person to not want to put burden on people, or I don't want to it to cause conflict and I don't want to confront. But it's like, it's my name. You know, I should be like, yeah, you're not saying it right. And I've done better about it as I've, like, grown in college.

[26:52] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[26:53] A'DJA JONES: Especially because, like, there's just so many new people that you meet all the time. So it's like, hey, this is my name. Like, this is what you address me as.

[27:01] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Right?

[27:02] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, I've gotten better about it, but, yeah, I bet for you, too. Your name. People mispronounce it often, don't they?

[27:10] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: All the time. All the time. But, like. Like, you. I feel like you kind of just. You get used to it, right? You're like, oh, okay, it's fine. I'm gonna go buy AJ or whatever. Right. Manuela a perfect example. Just start calling you Manuela Ngo Tonye Nyemeck all the time now because that's. Manny's not your name. Yeah, but it's something. Like. It's something so simple. But that's an example, right? Like, we could just continue to. Oh, yeah, sure. Whatever. Just call me M. Just call me AJ. Whatever. But, like, that's. That's problematic when people just, you know, don't. Either they don't care enough or, you know, they don't want to make the effort. Like, that is your name and it is really important. But, heck, that's a microaggression.

[27:49] A'DJA JONES: Like, that's.

[27:50] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: That's one little example of, like, oh, yeah, well, we could just kind of be quiet. We could just go on about our day. It's not anything blatantly, like, terrible, but.

[27:57] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, but it's something. And it bothers us, but it's like, why don't we say something in that way.

[28:02] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I know.

[28:03] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[28:04] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: You just kind of weigh out. Like, is it really worth my time.

[28:07] A'DJA JONES: And energy right now? Is it might worth my time and energy right now for me to tell you this?

[28:12] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Well, and that's, like, any other situation, too, right? If there's some sort of other, like, microaggression or, you know, even. I mean, a coach says something or, like, I've had staff members maybe, like, say a little something that's off, and I'm like, should I. Do I have the capacity today to address it?

[28:30] A'DJA JONES: Like.

[28:31] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And I think that's the burden.

[28:32] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[28:33] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And that's just something we continue to have, too, which. It sucks.

[28:37] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, it does. But I don't want to say it is what it is, but it is.

[28:42] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: It is. Like, I mean, I would like to see it.

[28:44] A'DJA JONES: It is. It really is.

[28:46] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Ugh.

[28:46] A'DJA JONES: But, yeah. And, um, I guess we're moving along to summertime. Can we talk about the time when we first got back to college in the middle of a pandemic?

[28:58] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, my gosh, please.

[28:59] A'DJA JONES: That was. I don't know how it was for you, but that was a rough time, especially because kids were so excited to come back to school, which has probably been, like, more excitement than ever, but we don't know what cases were coming along. We didn't even know where we stood with classes, the amount of primary contacts that were happening. It was chaotic. I want to say fall of 2020 was the most chaotic years of my life.

[29:33] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: That's. That's fair.

[29:34] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. Yeah. It was insane. And then going through, um, me being an athlete, going through, like, being with or meeting new people, new teammates, but not even getting to meet them.

[29:49] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah.

[29:49] A'DJA JONES: Not knowing if we'd have a season. And then. And then thoughts seeping, like, are. What am I doing this for? Like, am I gonna actually get to have a season, or am I just running for fun? Which, by the way, my sport is track and field, and it's my sport. Or other people's punishments. So do I really want to put myself through this for months to come? For what? For what?

[30:13] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: That's my question to you.

[30:15] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. And then it was thinking about or being scared of getting Covid and actually getting Covid or being close primary contact and not knowing if you had it or not. Or going through that amount of testing in a week. Not even in a week, in a day.

[30:31] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I got all about that. Y'all were constantly.

[30:33] A'DJA JONES: That's what I. It was like, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Like, let me relax. No, but it was. It was for a good purpose. Don't let me relax. It was for a good purpose, but, like, oh, my goodness. We had to do so much fall 2020, and now that I realize it, it's, like I always thought, like, I'm doing the bare minimum because there's so many more people out there doing, like, so much more to try to keep us safe. Like, nurses, dog doctors.

[30:59] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Absolutely.

[31:00] A'DJA JONES: Teachers, you guys. Like, you didn't have to be there, but you were. You know, I was trying to minimize what I was going through and try to feel for what other people were going through. But, like, in that time, man, it was rough.

[31:13] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: It was. Yeah, no, that's understandable. But, yeah, it was. I feel like my very, like, the core of my being is, like, my students, and, like, so that was. It was tough watching you all go through all of that and, like, your entire lives had been interrupted, and education, like, you're. You're supposed to be in college having the best time of your life, making shenanigans and all that, right? Yes, absolutely. Safely.

[31:40] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[31:40] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Bubble. Of course. But I feel like you all were partially robbed of that, in a sense, and you all in a. You had to kind of grow up a little earlier than other people, too. And so I feel like that. Yeah, that probably changed you all in some way for the rest of your lives, too.

[31:57] A'DJA JONES: Oh, literally. And I always thought about this, like, we're gonna be those people that, like, when concerts are back in full sesh, we're gonna be those 25 to close to 30 year olds partying with the kids, because we were robbed. We really were robbed of our prime years. Like, I remember my 20th birthday, and it was my sophomore year of high college, not high school. And I just have gotten over Covid, but I want to say that. So I had Covid, like, end of September of 2020, and then I got better. Not really.

[32:43] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I was about to say you had that cough, river.

[32:45] A'DJA JONES: I had the worst recovery of all time. Like, I was sound like this is not to joke. I sounded like a man for three weeks running. Felt terrible, especially being a runner. I had to make so many trips, like, to the hospital, because they had to make sure that my heart was okay, because Covid affects your heart, and for a runner, that's terrible. So it was like. I mean, I want to say that I'm glad I did not rush back in that time, because that would have been worse. But my 20th birthday, I had just gotten over Covid, and I had, like, that week was the best week at felt, even though we had time trials and that didn't go so hot for me. But, like, that was that. I finally felt like I could breathe. I didn't need, like, because my. Even my asthma came back, and I hadn't had asthma since I was, like, two years old. Oh, God, I could not breathe. But that week, I felt good. But I was in the moment. Like, this is my 20th birthday. Like, the last hurrah before the 21st. What the heck do I do?

[33:51] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: What could you do?

[33:52] A'DJA JONES: What could I have? Yeah. So, like. And I was just wondering, like, wow, I can't even go be with my parents because I had just gotten over Covid, and I need to, like, be safe because I don't know what I'm bringing from a college campus can be with my family. Some of my friends couldn't come visit me because I was gonna have, like, a whole birthday party, too, but some of my friends couldn't come visit me. So it had to be kept short and sweet and homey, but. Which is fine, but my personality is so out there and outgoing that I want everyone to celebrate with me. Like, yeah, it's my birthday, but I want you to feel like it's also your 20th birthday.

[34:32] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Aw.

[34:33] A'DJA JONES: Didn't get that chance. But that's okay because my 21st, I felt that way.

[34:38] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, good.

[34:39] A'DJA JONES: Yeah, I threw myself a birthday party.

[34:40] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, good.

[34:41] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[34:41] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay. I don't get all the details on that one, but I'm glad that you celebrated. I hope you celebrated it up and all of those things. And the pfizer does not want to know. Can only imagine.

[34:51] A'DJA JONES: Oh, aza. But you. You didn't need to know. But I tell you everything I know.

[34:57] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I'm just glad you had a good time. You deserve it, especially, like, all the work and stuff you put in. I'm just so proud of you, honestly, because you have come such a long way, like, coming. Okay, so I feel like I remember when you walked down the hallway and we first got introduced. You were excited, but you were also like, oh, my gosh, what is happening? And you, like, wouldn't really talk to me. And I remember distinctively when my. I don't know, my desk was still, like, facing towards that wall in the hallways.

[35:22] A'DJA JONES: Oh, yeah.

[35:23] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And you used to sit in that chair during our first meetings. And you always look so scared.

[35:27] A'DJA JONES: Yes.

[35:27] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And I feel like for a while, you didn't care for me very much or you were just frightened of me. And I'm not sure which one, and I don't want to know, honestly. I just speculated. But I say all that to say, like, imagining you sitting there in that chair the first, you know, couple weeks that you were there until this point, like, it's been so cool to watch you grow up and to, you know, expand your leadership roles and, like, just knock out all of these goals. Like, I'm just so proud. Like, it made the pandemic worth it just to see kind of what you are capable of doing. And I feel like that about my other students as well. But I know, you know, you're just very, very special to me. And so it's been really cool to see that, despite all of the things that you've had to go through. I'm just so proud.

[36:13] A'DJA JONES: Thank you, A'dja And I will say, as my advisor, but very much my therapist, A'dja I cannot stress this enough, because, you know what I went through that year of COVID Mm hmm. And, you know, the emotional struggle, mental struggle, even physical struggle that I went through, and you have literally been my rock.

[36:39] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, man.

[36:40] A'DJA JONES: And I always, like. I'm just like, I have my mother. Like, she gave birth to me, obviously.

[36:49] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, yeah, that's wrong.

[36:50] A'DJA JONES: You're very much my school mom because you just know how to direct a moment so well. Like, if I'm struggling, if I'm happy, if I'm stressed, you know exactly what to say and what to do. And it just brings me so much comfort. I'm like, anytime I go through stress, I'm like, you know what? I don't even need to stress about this right now, because I know A'dja She'll let me know what to do. I know she will drive me in the right way. And just. You just make me feel so safe, so worth it. Oh, you really do. And I have my moments where I feel like I'm not even making sense ever. I feel like I shouldn't even be in the moment of certain moments, and you just. You make me feel like a shining star.

[37:44] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Oh, man.

[37:45] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[37:45] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: As you should.

[37:47] A'DJA JONES: Very true.

[37:47] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: You really sweet. You really do.

[37:49] A'DJA JONES: And you are the raw. I mean, some people don't realize this, but you do so much for us, and they just don't. We just don't realize how much you do and behind the scenes stuff and how much you just. I don't know what we do without you. I don't know what I would do.

[38:06] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Without you, but the feeling is mutual.

[38:09] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. Can you go with me after? Like, I'll just be your life coach.

[38:14] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I'm actually just gonna follow around, so I wouldn't mind. Is that weird? I don't know. I'll just start a consulting business, and then I'll just follow you around when you're going and doing big things. And you're a chiropractor and all those.

[38:25] A'DJA JONES: Oh, yeah.

[38:26] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And a translator.

[38:27] A'DJA JONES: Yes.

[38:28] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I did not forget.

[38:30] A'DJA JONES: You're like, I love that you remind me about that, because that's, like, the first thing I ever told you. You're like, yeah, you need to do that. That will work for you, or you'll be so good at it. That's so funny. And that's funny because I think you're the only person I've ever told that I haven't even told my family.

[38:44] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Yeah. You still could do that, too.

[38:47] A'DJA JONES: Yeah.

[38:47] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: And I hope, at least at some point, like you do, that, but you are literally capable of anything that you put your mind to. And I hope that you at least somewhat believe that now, especially these days.

[38:57] A'DJA JONES: I believe it. Oh, that is really kicking in.

[39:01] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: That is what an advisor only hopes to hear. So I feel like I can go right now and just be done and be like, you know what? My life is complete. Like, at least there's one who feels like they haven't figured out. So I think I can be fine with that now. I feel like I can now depart or do whatever I need.

[39:19] A'DJA JONES: Yeah. After I leave, though.

[39:20] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Okay. I did promise you that.

[39:21] A'DJA JONES: Yes.

[39:23] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: Um, but, yeah, well, I appreciate the conversation. I feel like I always love talking to you.

[39:29] A'DJA JONES: I love talking to you. Um, even though this is ending, I. You will see me tomorrow.

[39:34] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: I can't wait days to come. Yep.

[39:37] A'DJA JONES: And that's here in your office.

[39:38] MANUELA NGO TONYE NYEMECK NGO TONYE NYEMECK: So I can't wait some of the best moments of my day.