MONROE, Conn. — Sienna Jones, a Masuk High School senior, initially planned to apply to only a few colleges, before sending applications to 28. The 15 who sent acceptance letters back included five Ivy League schools, Stanford and Georgetown. Among the Ivy League schools were Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Brown and the University of Pennsylvania.
Jones, 18, who wants to study government and law, recently chose Harvard. During an interview at Masuk last Tuesday, she told The Sun she wasn’t expecting positive responses from so many of the country’s top schools.
“I think my grades were the main driving factor,” Jones said. “I think I told a good story in my essay and my leadership was strong. My mother is proud. I originally wanted to go to Stanford in California, but then to be able to go to a prestigious place like Harvard — and close to home.”
In her essay, Jones shared the story of teaching herself piano. “I talked about how my piano is my identity and how it helps me deal with personal loss,” she said.
When Jones was a sophomore, she was nominated and chosen to participate in a Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) State Leadership Seminar. HOBY is an organization that promotes leadership skills among students in the country and around the world.
After participating in the seminar, Jones came back her junior year to volunteer as a leader for another group of Connecticut high school students.
Penny Ploski, a school counselor at Masuk, has worked with Jones throughout her high school career.
“She’s one the easiest kids to work with ever,” Ploski said. “Her modesty makes her very likable. It’s just a joy to watch her find and use her voice.”
Among her extracurricular activities, Jones has competed on the girls swim team all four years and she plays the flute in the Masuk Band under Director Michael Ances.
“She is a leader in the band and was voted by her peers to serve as one of the band council presidents this year,” Ances said of Jones. “She always volunteers to perform at our community events, so you would have seen her at the Monroe Think Pink kickoff in October and at the town green tree lighting in December — and even performing at local retirement homes and the senior center.”
“But perhaps more importantly, she is a wonderful human being who always demonstrates compassion, humility, support of her peers and accepts and appreciates those around her,” Ances said.
Later last Tuesday afternoon, Jones and fellow members of TRI-M, a music honors society at Masuk, planned to visit a senior home in Newtown, where Jones would play her flute for the residents.
“I’m in a lot of random clubs,” Jones said. “I’m in most of the honors societies.”
A bright future
“I definitely want to do law and maybe be a politician, depending on the political landscape,” Jones said.
These professional interests are sparked by a desire to help, whether it’s defending people who need legal representation or assisting companies, according to Jones. She said the type of law she chooses to pursue will depend on what is the best fit for her personality and interests.
For her Capstone Project, Jones worked for Monroe first selectman candidate Leon Ambrosey, a Democrat who challenged the incumbent Republican, Terry Rooney.
“It was really interesting,” she said of the experience. “It was great to see who is running our town and the way they plan and execute things. It was a good opportunity for me. I took AP Government sophomore year. That was one of my favorite classes. This was a good inside scope into how things work in real life.”
Chrissy Martinez, chair of the Monroe Democratic Town Committee, worked closely with Jones during the campaign.
“Sienna immersed herself in the full rhythm and responsibilities of a local campaign,” Martinez said. “She attended Democratic Town Committee meetings and campaign meetings, supported the promotion of our candidate, and contributed meaningfully to voter analysis used to guide targeted door-knocking efforts.”
“She also stepped in to handle the many routine, behind-the-scenes duties that are essential to any campaign team’s success—doing so with a quiet confidence and a steady willingness to help wherever needed,” Martinez added. “While she did not attend the campaign Gala, her involvement across the broader work of the committee and campaign was comprehensive and impactful.”
Martinez describes Jones as “reliable, bright and purposeful, someone who brings both intellect and heart to the work.”
“A moment that affirmed Sienna’s unusual readiness for this kind of work occurred during a campaign event in Monroe when U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal made an impromptu visit in support of our candidate,” Martinez said. “Sienna engaged in conversation with the senator, and he was so impressed by her maturity and knowledge that he invited her to the State Capitol for a tour and the opportunity to experience an actual legislative work session, and he also committed to writing her a college letter of recommendation.”
The biggest impact
Jones grew up in Monroe and graduated from its public schools, from Stepney Elementary and Jockey Hollow Middle schools to the upcoming Masuk commencement ceremony on June 17.
“I’ve definitely felt supported since elementary school,” Jones said.
Among her favorite subjects are math, history and political science. Jones said the teacher who had the biggest impact on her was Susan Clark at Masuk.
“I had her for AP Government and before her I wanted to go into medicine,” Jones said. “When I had her class it reaffirmed my interests. I realized I wanted to go into this field. I’m majoring in government.”
“I had Sienna for two years — AP Government and AP U.S. History,” Clark said. “Taking these rigorous courses were not easy and she met every challenge they threw her way. Sienna sought extra help regularly to improve and she flourished. Sienna really embodies the idea that hard work and diligence pays off. She is such a hard worker, very resilient and deserves all the success that she has achieved.”
Her teachers are among what Jones said she will miss most about Masuk.
“I’d definitely say the teachers and the faculty here are great,” Jones said. “I had a lot of good relationships with my teachers.”
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