Meet Ciarra Jones

Ciarra Jones has always been interested in what it means to belong and the things that impact our ability to experience that belonging. 

As an undergraduate at UC Berkeley majoring in American studies, Ciarra focussed on the African-American sense of self. At the same time, she was navigating her own experiences as a Black woman and an LGBTQ Christian.

“I became fascinated by what it means to spiritually belong and why the church struggles with making space for people to belong across difference,” she says.

This fascination led her to Harvard Divinity School where she studied queer theory, Black liberation studies, and womanist theology. 

Now she joins the Goldman School’s student services team as diversity coordinator.

"We are thrilled to welcome Ciarra to provide leadership and guidance as we build a just and inclusive community together at GSPP,” says Anne Campbell Washington, Senior Assistant Dean of Academic Programs and Dean of Students. “Ciarra's degree in theology allows her to work in a nuanced way that recognizes everyone's humanity and helps us build empathy for each other. We are lucky to have her as a member of the Goldman School family.”

Ciarra’s work in higher education began at Cal State Los Angeles where she worked for the Gender and Sexuality Research Center. When the campus shut down due to COVID, she took the opportunity to begin analyzing ethnographic data about the experience of Black students on campus and making recommendations to executive leadership. 

“This is a time of reckoning for academia,” says Ciarra. “I see it in grad programs and institutions across the nation. Students are looking for structural change. It’s more than ‘we don’t like this syllabus,’ it’s also, ‘we’re questioning the pedagogical framing of this discipline.”

“Academia is being called upon to engage the full humanity of their students,” she continues. “We expect ourselves to feel seen in the classroom.”

This is a tall order but Ciarra is eager for the work. 

“I’ve found this joy in walking alongside people—whether that’s students, faculty, or staff— and working together as we ask really hard questions,” she says. “This kind of work isn’t simple and it takes patience. It isn’t for everybody, but for me, as long as I can see an intent to grow, I can be there. I want to help people have a graceful orientation towards themselves and others. That is what will help this work flourish.”

When asked what drew her to the Goldman School, Ciarra notes that the staff and faculty she met with before she came on board expressed a sincere desire to grow into a more just, inclusive community. 

“There was a kind of humility about the work that gives me a lot of hope,” says Ciarra. “Because this work requires humility. There are times when I really won’t know the answer but I know this: I’ll be in the trenches with you.”