{"id":15625,"date":"2026-03-30T17:57:40","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T00:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/?p=15625"},"modified":"2026-03-30T18:16:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T01:16:58","slug":"from-title-runs-to-lifelong-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/30\/from-title-runs-to-lifelong-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Scholarship Gala Highlights Leopards\u2019 Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span>Alumna Adele Jones visits ULV, reflecting on her volleyball legacy and celebrating the 2025 national finalists. <em>(ULV Photo\/Claudia Gonzalez)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span>Adele Jones \u201905 reflects on championship grit and lifelong connections as ULV honors its latest finalists at the 2026 Scholarship Gala<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span>For former University of La&nbsp;Verne volleyball standout Adele Jones \u201905, watching the current women\u2019s team compete for the NCAA national championship brought back a flood of memories. A key member of the Leopards\u2019 2001 national title team, Jones knows what it takes to reach that stage. \u201cIt\u2019s not easy to get there,\u201d she said. \u201cThe way they persevered all season is amazing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The 2025 team will be honored at the 2026 Scholarship Gala on May 2 at the Sheraton Fairplex Suites and Conference Center in Pomona, a tribute Jones says is well deserved. \u201cIt\u2019s important for people to see the athletes who represent the university and how hard they\u2019ve worked to get there,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Now a personal trainer and co-owner of Fitness by Design Training Studio, Jones watched many of the championship matches at home with her children, often pointing to the screen: \u201cThat\u2019s where mom went to school.\u201d The experience also reminded her of what defined her own time at La&nbsp;Verne. \u201cThe van rides, the meals, the inside jokes, that\u2019s what sticks with you,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was the connection with my teammates.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As today\u2019s players prepare for what comes next, Jones offers simple advice: stay connected. \u201cTwenty years later, we\u2019re still getting together, still telling the same stories,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>About the 2026 Scholarship Gala\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The gala highlights the impact of academic scholarships at La&nbsp;Verne while celebrating the achievements of students and the supporters who help make their education possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The evening begins with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and dancing at 8:30 p.m. Guests are invited to attend in black-tie optional attire.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>For sponsorship opportunities, tickets, and additional details, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/advancement\/gala\/\">laverne.edu\/gala<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/><br style=\"font-weight: 400;\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alumna Adele Jones visits ULV, reflecting on her volleyball legacy and celebrating the 2025 national finalists. (ULV Photo\/Claudia Gonzalez) Adele Jones \u201905 reflects on championship grit and lifelong connections as ULV honors its latest finalists at the 2026 Scholarship Gala For former University of La&nbsp;Verne volleyball standout Adele Jones \u201905, watching the current women\u2019s team [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":212,"featured_media":15626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1549],"tags":[2034,9743],"class_list":["post-15625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-events","tag-hp","tag-scholarship-gala","ulv_author-claudia-gonzalez"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.8 (Yoast SEO v23.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Scholarship Gala Highlights Leopards\u2019 Legacy | University of La Verne<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/laverne.edu\/news\/2026\/03\/30\/from-title-runs-to-lifelong-ties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Scholarship Gala Highlights Leopards\u2019 Legacy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alumna Adele Jones visits ULV, reflecting on her volleyball legacy and celebrating the 2025 national finalists. 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