Louisville man transforms from convict to college student

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - "Never in my life, I thought I would have been a college student," says Montez Jones, a student currently attending Simmons College.

If people don't recognize Montez Jones' face, then perhaps they might remember his story. Jones was the sign guy from 26th and Broadway who got a full-ride college scholarship on a whim. He was not required to take the SAT or ACT.

The opportunity came through an act of faith from Dr. Kevin Cosby. "(I wanted to) show him what confidence, hard work, discipline and being around the right people can do for a person."

Cosby caught Jones' act on MLK Day last year and offered to move his life in a whole new direction by helping him attend Simmons College. But, before he capitalized on the offer, Jones' life skipped a beat and fell back into a familiar rhythm.

"I did get arrested," Jones said. He spent six months in jail.

"I didn't give up and now look where I'm at," Jones said.

"Montez's life experience is probably polar extreme from mine," said Robert Harvey, a professor at Simmons College. "In life, we all make mistakes, we all make mistakes, but it's the way you overcome them."

Cosby was one of Jones' first calls after he was released from jail."We ain't running no sprint. It's a marathon. That's what Doc C said to me," Jones said.

The President held true to his offer and then some, giving Jones a place to live, a job and that full-ride scholarship.

Jones is currently studying sociology. He's in his first semester as a full-time student at Simmons College.

His classmates, colleagues and professors all know his story.

"He is a billboard for second chances, and he is also a billboard for the philosophy that your experience and your life background does not dictate the fullness of your destiny," Harvey said.

Jones says he is going to make the most of his second chance. "When I got that scholarship and we did the interview on Broadway, I was going to do it because people wanted me to do it. Now I'm doing it because I want to do it," he said.

If people don't recognize Jones, they might remember his story.He's transformed from convict to college student. "That gives me chills, that give me big chills," he said.