Tené Jones has confronted more than her fair share of personal and health challenges, but rather than let them discourage her, she has drawn on them for inspiration.

In 2019 when Jones was a junior in high school, she was faced with mourning a good friend who died at age 16. Then Jones was diagnosed with lupus – a chronic autoimmune disease – and polyarthritis. She was familiar with lupus because a cousin had been diagnosed as a small child. In 2023, her 16-year-old cousin died from complications from the disease.

“My friend was very active in the community; she wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor. Now she wasn’t going to be there for high school graduation. Seeing all she did before she passed away inspired me to want to do more,” says Jones, a native of Florence, South Carolina.

Despite her disability, Jones never lost her resolve to honor the memory of her loved ones by pursuing a career in which she could make a difference in the lives of others. She completed an associate degree at age 17, her bachelor’s degree in psychology and criminology and criminal justice three years later, and next month, at age 22, she will earn her master’s degree in social work from the University of South Carolina.

While at USC, she founded Service Carolina, a centralized space to teach college students about how volunteering impacts their communities and to connect them with volunteer opportunities. Service Carolina is also a way to share resources with those in need.

“I wanted to include a variety of organizations to appeal to students’ interests,” Jones says. “I also wanted to increase their comfort level because they can volunteer as a group.”

The first volunteer event she organized was at Ronald McDonald House because the family and children’s charity has assisted her cousin’s family during her illness and hospital stays. Since then, Service Carolina has partnered with more than 12 nonprofit organizations, including Harvest Hope Food Bank, Midlands Orphan Relief, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Pawmetto Lifeline and the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice.

In addition, Service Carolina organizes a Galentine’s event to raise awareness about domestic violence and healthy dating relationships.

“I made a personal commitment to community service a long time ago, and volunteering with Service Carolina over the past two years has taught me a lot,” says Mikayla Rembert-Finch, a junior majoring in public health with a minor in Leadership Studies Columbia. “Giving back my time and energy to my community is something I’m passionate about because I know what it feels like to need help.”

Jordan Thomas, director of share ONE love, calls Jones a “world changer.” The organization conducts sport-based and classroom-based programs with young people housed in secure youth facilities.

"Tené has a heart to impact young people, and she is willing to live the change she wants to see in the world,” Thomas says. “She will continue to make a deep impact in the community around her. From continuing to volunteer herself, to scheduling Service Carolina volunteers to support share ONE love programming, Tené has been a true asset to strengthening community support for justice-involved youth.”

Back in high school when Jones was faced with her lupus diagnosis, she realized balancing her disability with her life plans would be a challenge.

“For a while I couldn't walk on my own until I started on daily medications,” Jones says. “My life no longer felt like mine, and I was frustrated about the chances of achieving all my personal and professional goals.”

The first indicators were her inability to do a simple task like opening a water bottle as well as rapid weight loss. Because of her cousin’s experience, her family recognized the symptoms and were able to fast track her treatment.

She says the physical and mental support of her family, friends and school during the diagnosis and initial treatment has been crucial to her success.

A 2024 trip to the National Lupus Awareness Conference in Washington, D.C., where she and her mother lobbied for health care policy changes and support for research with pharmaceutical companies and members of Congress sparked Jones’s interest in advocacy, health and mental health disparities, particularly among black communities.

She originally planned to attend law school, but after doing some research and seeking advice, she decided social work was a better fit because it offers the opportunity to do policy work and advocacy and to work within the justice system, the health system as well as field and clinical work.

After completing her master’s degree this spring, she has an interest in clinical work, and she hopes to inspire people to fight for causes they believe in regardless of obstacles they may face.

“Despite all the things life has thrown at me, I'm still able to fight for causes I believe in,” Jones says. “That's why founding Service Carolina has been one of the most impactful experiences of my professional journey. I want other students to see a cause they believe in and do something to help.”

Since its founding, Service Carolina has completed over 900 collective service hours, raised 500-plus essential items for vulnerable populations and built a network of 50-plus members. Find the organization on Instagram and Facebook, at organization fairs on campus and on the GroupMe chat app.

Rembert-Finch says Jones is dedicated to placing Service Carolina on a firm foundation of committed volunteers even after she graduates.

“I know that when Service Carolina has an event – whether it’s cooking meals at Ronald McDonald or running activities with share One love at DJJ – I’ll have a good time with the community of volunteers who are also there for the same reasons,” she says.

Thomas says Jones’s communication and organizational skills make it easy to plug Service Carolina volunteers into an organization’s activities.

“She consistently reaches out and asks for ways to support and connect with the youth we serve,” he says. “That has been evident through the multiple years that Service Carolina volunteers have participated in not only our activities, but also in the many other initiatives Tené champions.”