Tanaa Jones | Student

Formed by Faith

Growing up in Nashville, Tenn., Tanaa Jones ’26 was taught from an early age how to see the world through the lens of faith and spirituality. “I don't know what I would be without my upbringing at church,” she says. “But I think things would be very different.”

For her, a key part of that formative experience was the music that surrounded her and gave expression to her faith. “Music has always been my way to connect,” she says. “I grew up singing. Even when I’ve felt like I'm disconnected from my spiritual side, music has always been there. It has been my home in a sense.”

During her time at DePauw, Jones has kept that musical connection alive through her extensive involvement in Exalt! Gospel Choir. She joined the group as a first-year student, and it immediately provided her with much-needed continuity and a strong connection to her roots. “Exalt! has always been a source of community for me. They were singing songs I grew up singing. There aren’t churches near here like what I grew up with, but I feel like Exalt! is the closest thing.”

Now that she serves as the group’s president, Jones is working hard to keep its spirit alive and build on the legacy of those who have come before her. Not only is she organizing logistics such as practice schedules and meeting spaces, but she’s also expanding the group’s identity to be more than just a choir. “I don’t want to see Exalt! falter,” she explains. “We’ve been going for over 30 years, and I refuse to let it die.”

Yet music isn’t the only part of her life that is interwoven with her spiritual upbringing. In her church, Jones learned to take notice of what was happening in the world around her and to explore the socio-political implications of her faith. That foundation helped prepare her for what she learned early in her DePauw career in a course called “Women of Color in the U.S.”

“One of the things that really struck me in that class was a discussion we had over an article containing stats about pregnant women of color and maternal mortality. That hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like, here we are in this ‘developed country,’ and we still have this problem for women who are giving birth? I thought that was so insane.”

Insights such as this one have inspired Jones to take action. She wants to make a difference in underserved communities, and she hopes to do so professionally by becoming a midwife in the future. She’s even created her own interdisciplinary major at DePauw to prepare her for this path: maternal and reproductive health and justice.

In the same way that gospel music resonates with a deep part of her identity, Jones finds profound meaning in the prospect of helping others navigate the sacred act of childbirth. “I feel like giving birth is a very spiritual thing. You're literally ushering life into this world. Being a person who can help guide them through that process is really important to me.”

On campus, Jones is also a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and the Association of African American Students, and she serves as the president of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. By immersing herself in these outlets for connection, she has established what she describes as a “makeshift family,” despite being 300 miles from home.

“Community is everything,” she says. “You won’t have the experience you want if you don’t have people to share it with.”