DAVIS, Calif. – Kara Jones, a senior gymnast and a chemistry major at UC Davis, knows a thing or two about the highways. 

Before a collegiate career that saw her win three All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation awards and two MPSF All-Academic honors, Jones trained and competed for the Dublin-based Edge Gymnastics for four years. The after-school trek from Petaluma High School, taking her across the San Francisco Bay or even around the San Pablo Bay to the Alameda County training center, could take upwards of two hours. Yet she and current Aggie teammate Yasmine Yektaparast – who attended Saint Vincent De Paul across town – made this trip on a daily basis as they carpooled to practice.

Small wonder that Jones, who took a student job with the UC Davis police department last fall, has her eyes set on a possible career with the California Highway Patrol. She initially sought a career launch toward the FBI, and even chose her major with that agency in mind, but currently has her eye on the CHP. "I'm leaning toward the CHP. I want to do more active work, like on the road."

Jones' aspirations loosely continues a family tradition. Her father, Casey Jones, retired as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 from the U.S. Coast Guard after 30 years of service in 2015. Thus, growing up in a military household certainly pointed Kara into an interest in service and instilled such concepts as honor and community at an early age. 

That said, Kara admits that her intake of TV and Netflix crime dramas also helped inform her career plans. "I loved the criminal analysis shows," she said. "Quantico was the one that made me want to do the FBI, and I binge-watched Forensic Files as a child."

Make no mistake, these small-screen escapes did not merely tickle fantasies. Jones opted for her chemistry major specifically because the FBI seeks graduates in STEM fields. Furthermore, her decision to land a student job with the campus PD came with that agency in mind. "For the FBI, I know for sure that you have to have a few years of experience, which is so hard," Jones said. "That's why it was a big thing for me to get a job with the police. I wanted to get something under my belt so I can start building my resume."

Speaking of resume-building, Jones cites this skill among the most useful aspects of the Aggie EVO student-athlete outcomes program. She was already a junior when senior associate athletics director Michael Lorenzen launched the system in 2017, so her checklist is quite different than that of her younger teammates. Nevertheless, Jones expresses an appreciation for the EVO program. Her favorite part of the programming was a "story-telling" exercise in which athletes draw up a map of their lives, from childhood to present. 

"I really liked that. It's easy to get wrapped up in 'oh, I've done nothing with my life,'" Jones said. "But then I realized everything I've done and learned how to sell it. That's really hard to do. No one likes to talk about themselves, except for a select few extroverts. It was good for me to learn how to find my good qualities."

Perhaps as part of that inventory, Jones gives a nod of gratitude to her chosen sport for preparing her for the workplace. "You're judged on your presentation, which I feel is applicable to other jobs," she said. "Wherever you work, it's important how you present yourself."

In her student position, Jones largely assists in the police department's Live Scan, a component of the campus's background check process. A full day of classes and gymnastics practice means she might arrive at her shift quite fatigued, yet she knows to put on a positive face on the job. Administering fingerprint scans and background checks can almost seem intrusive, yet Jones has honed her abilities to engage prospective employees during their Live Scan appointments.

Furthermore, her shift at the UC Davis PD begins after business hours, meaning she might find herself as the first point of contact for drop-in visitors. And while she is not authorized to directly assist their needs, Jones still puts on the good face for these visitors – the same one that might earn extra tenths of a point from gymnastics judges. 

"People come into the office with random questions, or they lost something, or someone just hit them," said Jones. "That can be kind of stressful because they come in very anxious and freaking out. I have to calm them down then go find someone in the office who can help them."

Of course, the most important way her experience as a student-athlete has prepared her for work is time management. In fact, this challenge largely explains why she did not even think about getting a job until her senior year at UC Davis. 

"With gymnastics, we train 30 hours a week from the time we're seven until the end of college," Jones said. "I commuted an hour and a half to practice [as a club athlete], so my schedule was like 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. I would start my homework at 10 p.m., then go to bed at 2 a.m. I didn't have time for a job or an internship. 

"Once I hit my senior year and I had figured out my schedule, I thought I would find a job so I could have something."

In fact, several of Jones' co-workers at the campus PD are fellow student-athletes. Maya Burns was a member of the gymnastics team last year, and assumed a role as a team manager for the 2019 season. Kathryn Bockman and Amanda Chau balance their work with the department with the rigors of swimming and diving, respectively. Football players Charles Hays and Will Martin also serve the UC Davis PD as part of the Aggie Host Security Division.

So the question remains: FBI or CHP? The FBI requires either a) at least two years of work experience, or b) a master's degree, before she could even enter the agency's application process. The Highway Patrol does not have such educational requirements, but her college degree will give her a boost on the pay scale, while her Spanish minor could qualify her as bilingual. Jones' years as a gymnast will also put her ahead of the curve when it comes to either agency's fitness tests, although she is still coming back from the injury that prematurely ended her 2019 season. The FBI more closely matches some of her aspirations (remember those Netflix shows) but the CHP also has a forensics unit.

Either option entails a tough road with a satisfying destination. And again, Kara Jones already knows a thing or two about both.

ABOUT UC DAVIS: Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.

AGGIE EVO: Established in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.