Erin Jones-Wesley: Meet The Renaissance SuperWoman Who Is Inspiring LA’s Youth Through Sport
Remember the name Erin Jones-Wesley. You may see it soon on the Silver Screen or in the news as Miss California or Miss America. You may have already heard her name if you follow NCAA softball, watch ESPN, or you’re interested in the people behind noteworthy charities.
Only 27 years old, Erin is multi-talented and ready to take on the world. I recently caught up with her to discuss her past accomplishments, present projects, and future goals including her impending path to royalty.
Erin grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, but realized at a young age she had a bigger stage in mind.
“I grew up in Rancho Cucamonga and it definitely has a small-town vibe to it. I always knew I wanted to live in the city.”
While at Los Osos high school, her inner drive propelled her to do her best as she worked towards a collegiate softball career.
“Sometimes my best was a full game no-hitter with lots of strikeouts and other times my best resulted in giving up a game winning home run. Softball is a humbling game. Your highs can never get you too high, but your lows can’t take you too low.”
Her hard work and humble attitude paid off in several ways. Erin was a four-year star at Long Beach State University and still holds the all-time pitching records for appearances, wins, and strikeouts. In addition to setting school records, many of the games Erin pitched in were broadcast on ESPN.
After the pitching appearance where Erin set the Long Beach State career record with her 73rd victory, she was interviewed on ESPN and developed a working relationship with the producers.
“I shadowed the commentators after graduating with my BA in Communication Studies. The following summer I got asked to provide color commentary for the World Cup of Softball with another ESPN broadcaster.”
In the booth she bonded with her partner, Trent Rush, who was the current Big West Conference/ESPN3 play-by-play host. The chemistry Erin developed with Rush came into play when his usual color analyst called in sick right before a game the following season.
“Since Trent could vouch for me, and the producers remembered the times I volunteered to learn and meet everyone, they called me about two hours before the game to ask if I wanted to be the color commentator, and I dropped everything I was doing and SHOWED UP!”
Erin has been asked back every year since.
On screen with ESPN, Erin has helped tell the stories of top-level athletes. Now she is studying at the prestigious American Film Institute so she can learn how to tell new stories as a producer.
“I love stories with strong, memorable characters that can resonate with a wide audience. Bonus points if these characters reflect stories that have not yet been told from unique perspectives.”
Her interest in the arts was spawned amidst humble beginnings when she accompanied her mom, who was enrolled in art and photography classes at the local community college. Reflecting on the role the arts played in her youth Erin remembers, “Before I even started kindergarten, I was sitting in college-level art classes. I think this really positively affected the way I look at art, as many field trips were at amazing art exhibits.”
She advises young, aspiring producers to watch a lot of movies and TV to find out what types of stories inspire them. When reflecting on her younger years, she now wishes that she could tell her younger self:
“It all works out how it’s supposed to, and keep using Myspace to self-teach coding!”
While growing up, Erin did not have a clear career goal in mind. Her passion for production was discovered after she received her BA in Communication Studies from Long Beach State. She became involved in a nonprofit organization in her early 20’s which ultimately provided her the environment to learn the ropes.
“I think I was always interested in having a career where I could be creative but also a business leader. However, I didn’t have the language to articulate that I wanted to be a producer until after I had been producing events for a few years in the sports nonprofit space.”
She met Johnny Buc Lockwood and Melissa Bowden while working with Major League Baseball for their nonprofit in Compton called the Youth Academy. They all teamed up to found Club 42, a nonprofit that supports young athletes. Their work is done in the spirit of Ralph and Jackie Robinson, and friends of Club 42 supporter John Branca, co-executor of The Michael Jackson Estate and nephew of Ralph Branca.
Erin shared many of the once-in-a-lifetime opportunities Club 42 has afforded to California’s underprivileged youth.
“I am so proud of the experiences we have been able to give the kids whether it’s playing basketball at a Beverly Hills mansion, playing football on the Rose Bowl Stadium field, receiving coaching from current and former MLB players, teaming up with e-sports influencers in Fortnite, meeting wild mustangs at a ranch in Malibu, or dancing for a Las Vegas crowd.”
Erin cites her involvement with Club 42 as one of her favorite things she has done since her softball career.
Of the nonprofit she lovingly says, “It’s truly been amazing to see how meaningful these experiences are to kids who are now getting the opportunity to DREAM BIG, because of these experiences. If you see it, you can dream it and Club 42 gives kids the opportunity to dream.”
As a result of her charitable endeavors and impressive collegiate and post-collegiate accomplishments, Erin was recently named Miss Santa Monica USA, and will be competing for the title of Miss California USA in January.
She explained what it was like to hear the news that she had been selected to compete in her first pageant.
“I received the email from the Miss Universe Organization explaining that I was selected as the hometown delegate for Santa Monica and I instantly sent out texts to my mom and sister. I hadn’t told anyone I applied, so of course they were very surprised, but supportive.”
If Erin wins the Miss California USA title she will then go on to compete for the Miss USA crown.
Despite being a pageant rookie, Erin is preparing like a well-seasoned champion by, “praying, journaling, meditating, and physically by continuing to eat healthy, staying active and practicing my confident walk (which I believe shouldn’t just be for stage, but for life). My mental preparation has been practicing articulating my point of view, my accomplishments, and my goals and dreams in a concise manner.”
Erin’s relentless drive to succeed has been fostered by outstanding role models. “I am inspired by women like Oprah, Sherry Lansing, Serena Williams, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Obama, Tyra Banks, and Kathleen Kennedy. They are women who stood their ground and were true leaders that broke through society’s ideals of what women “should” do, and didn’t take ‘no’ for an answer in actualizing their visions,” she emphasizes.
As she continues to stretch her boundaries, it is likely that future generations will one day be recognizing Erin Jones-Wesley as one of their inspirations. Remember the name.
Keep up with Erin on her website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
This article was originally posted on AllyWoodard.com
