Growing up in west Dallas, Joyce Jones got a first-hand view of conflict resolution handled the wrong way. "People in the projects didn't just sit down and have a discussion," she says. But it wasn't until she had earned an associate degree from El Centro College, married, had a child and went to work that she realized she wanted to become a mediator.

She entered El Centro College straight out of high school, and after a shaky academic start worked her way to the president's honor roll, earning an associate degree in business management. Working as a secretary in the Dallas County Juvenile Department, she realized that she wasn't earning the salary she needed to survive - and that she wanted to be a mediator herself. She returned to El Centro, earned a second associate degree in criminal justice, and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Dallas Baptist University.

As executive director for Dispute Mediation Service, a private not-for-profit organization funded through Dallas County, Joyce supervises and manages communication cases - such as neighbor-to-neighbor, car accidents and police department disturbances - not in litigation. She also handles cases in litigation for the justice of the peace. Named 1997 volunteer of the year by Zero Tolerance for Violence, she sits on the board of directors of several national mediation organizations. She also teaches classes on topics such as negotiation and cultural diversity at various universities and colleges - including El Centro - as well as a student mediation practicum through her office.

"My experience at community college taught me baby steps, which led to giant steps," says Joyce. "Not everybody can succeed at first in a four-year university." She also has advice for struggling college students from her own first-hand experience. "My best advice is to stay focused," she says. "Anybody can get off track, but try to find your way back. I did."

For Joyce Jones, it all began here.