Today, Jones is a first-generation winemaker and owner of Darjean Jones Wines.

As a student, she researched plants and plant diseases at Southern University and A&M College, University of California – Davis, and the US Department of Agriculture.

Through partnerships with six California vineyards, she has created and produced eight boutique Darjean Jones Wines that are “spirited, adventurous and possess a charisma that will seduce wine lovers of all kinds.”

Darjean Jones Wines are served at top restaurants in Texas, sold at wine cellars in California, and have a national wine club following.

“It is so important for our youth, SU students and alumni to see the homegrown talent and successes of Dawna and Chauncey who share their racial identity and are both graduates of the Southern University College of Agricultural, Family, and Consumer Science,” said Renita Marshall, DVM, associate dean of the College.