Parents and prospective students often ask what Linfield students do with their degrees after graduation. The answer, scripted as it sounds, is “anything they want.” Ryan Jones ’07 is a case in point.
Jones completed a Fulbright fellowship in Austria and then earned a master’s degree from the Georgetown School of Foreign Service after leaving Linfield, and quickly moved into positions in the U.S. State Department. When he realized that being a diplomat, while exciting, was not the lifestyle he ultimately wanted, he said his years at Linfield gave him the confidence to pivot seamlessly to a very different career path.
“The liberal arts education at Linfield allowed me to see the connectivity between vastly different subjects,” said Jones, now a producer for the streaming series “The Problem with Jon Stewart” on Apple TV+. He has worked on some of the biggest shows on streaming and network television in recent years.
He knows his Linfield education wouldn’t have been possible without the help of a lot of other people. So, he is determined to help offer the same generosity to another generation. Eight years ago, he began a recurring monthly gift to Linfield.
“Receiving scholarships was a deciding factor for me attending Linfield,” he said. “And I know that other people have much harder circumstances than me. I don’t want money to be the reason they can’t go.”
Jones knows his life trajectory could easily have landed him in a much different place. Originally from Twin Falls, Idaho, he grew up believing that state schools were his main option for higher education. Everything changed when a Linfield admission counselor visited his high school.
“After we met, she followed up with a hand-written postcard with her desk phone number saying to ‘call with any questions,’ and I did. And it was truly a breakthrough moment,” Jones said. “Between the one-on-one personal attention from an actual person on the other end and the financial aid package, mostly made up of scholarships, it became a clear decision.”
His four years at Linfield as a mass communication and music major were full of the opportunities a Linfield experience often provides: a semester studying abroad in Austria, a work-study position in the admission office, and ultimately, a Fulbright grant after graduation.
“Linfield was the most challenging academic thing I had done, and it set me up for success and allowed me to see what I could do,” he said.
These days, Jones said he stays close with his friends, professors and mentors from his undergraduate years. And he speaks with a passion about his time at Linfield, where it has led him and why he remains committed to current students.
“Ultimately, Linfield was life-changing for me,” he said. “I believe by giving back, it is a small way I can be part of paying it forward for current students to have the same positive experience.”
