Junior Kiah Jones excels on the court smashing volleyballs at opponents; she also succeeds in the classroom (or lab room, in this case), finding ways to kill an internal parasite.

Jones was named Biologist of the Year by the Central Washington University’s biology department, an award usually given to seniors leaving the university.

“I was really surprised just because in our department there’s students doing research on such cool things, all across the board,” Jones said.

Some of the research she is doing is with an intestinal parasite hookworm that is a big problem in subtropical areas that are high in poverty, like Africa and South America. The parasite can make people anemic, and for children, it can stunt their intelligence and physical growth.

Jones is working on finding a plant solution to kill the hookworm. She made a presentation about this at the Symposium of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE), an annual showcase to present research.

Biology Professor Blaise Dondji said the problem is trying to kill the worm without killing the person affected.

Over a year ago, the department was awarded $360,065 by the National Institute of Health for a three-year study on this subject. Jones has been working with Dondji for two years.

“Central’s [biology] department has done a lot for me,” Jones said. “All of the professors have been so helpful and inspiring—they’re great people and love what they do.”

Coming to CWU, Jones didn’t know exactly what to major in, so she went with what interested her most. For Jones it’s the cellular, molecular and pathways portion of biology that sparks her interest.

“I always find what’s happening inside of us interesting,” Jones said. “Even more than that, the immune system fascinates me.”

Volleyball season starts three weeks before the school year begins, and for Jones it can be hard to manage both volleyball and biology with the team’s travel schedule.

“It can be honestly really hectic and stressful, and there are times where I’m freaking out,” Jones said. “I’m really blessed everyone really comes together and helps me and works with me.”

She is currently applying to medical schools to get into after graduation.

Jones, an outside hitter, is coming off a strong season on the court. For the second straight season, she was named to the GNAC All-Academic Team with a 3.93 GPA, and was a honorable mention to the All-GNAC team this past season.

She had 265 kills this season, for an average of 2.48 kills per set. In 2014, she had 264 kills, and an average of 3.18 kills per set.

Volleyball head coach Mario Andaya said Jones’s talent and overall athleticism impress him.

“She’s just grown as a volleyball player her last four years here,” Andaya said.

Jones’ love of volleyball started when she started playing in seventh grade. At that point, something clicked for her.

Jones loved celebrating winning a point with her team. This was where she thought a team came together and created a special bond between her teammates.

She grew up in Port Angeles, an area where it isn’t easy to be noticed by college scouts. She joined the Northwest Juniors volleyball team based out of Edmonds, a two-hour, two-ferry trip from her hometown in order to be seen by college coaches.

Her parents were willing to pay for everything and got her to practice three days a week by taking turns driving.

Playing on the team got her noticed, and the constant traveling paid off for Jones.

Andaya said he liked how she played well above the net. He has known her coach for a long time and had nothing but good things to say about her.

When Jones got here she met the team, coaches and walked about campus.

I just knew automatically this is the place I wanted to be,” Jones said.

Just like any college student Jones’ busy schedule is visible to people around her.

“She puts a lot of herself in all her passions—that’s hard to do, you’re splitting time between two, three areas and she’s putting in everything she’s got,” Andaya said. “Some days she comes in a little mentally drained but she still puts forth the physical effort out there.”