In high school, Jones was a contestant in Mississippi's Junior Miss.[2] In 1998, she was crowned Miss Lake Wedowee and placed at Miss Alabama that year.[2] While a senior at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, Jones won the title of Miss Samford 1999.[2] The next year she was crowned Miss Jefferson County 2000.[3]
Jones was selected as Miss Homewood Area 2001 then, in early 2001, Jones was diagnosed with toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal illness caused by a bacterial toxin.[4][5] The antibiotic treatment for this caused most of her hair to fall out just two months before the Miss Alabama pageant in June.[4][6]
Jones' preliminary competition talent for Miss Alabama was playing classical piano.[7] Her platform was "Boys and Girls Clubs: Be a Peer Role Model".[6][8] Jones won the state competition on Saturday, June 16, 2001, when she received her crown from outgoing Miss Alabama titleholder Jana Sanderson.[4][6] After winning, Jones announced she would use the scholarship money to pursue a graduate degree in music education.[6] As Miss Alabama, her activities included public appearances across the state of Alabama.[9]
Jones was Alabama's representative at the Miss America 2002 pageant in Atlantic City, New Jersey.[10] Her competition talent was a classical piano performance of Frédéric Chopin's Ballade No. 1.[8][10] Jones was not one of the finalists for the Miss America title.[1] Her reign as Miss Alabama continued until Scarlotte Deupree was crowned on June 15, 2002.[11]
Her parents are Jerry Wilson Jones and Cynthia Perkins Jones.[7] During her reign as Miss Alabama, her father worked for a department store and her mother was a homemaker.[10] She is an only child.[5] Jones was raised Southern Baptist.[5] On August 9, 2003, she married Benjamin Matthew Carr.[14] Her wedding was featured in the 2004 edition of Alabama Weddings.[15]
