Cooper Jones, 22, is a singer, songwriter, graphic designer, and current Cal State Long Beach student. Using his Permobil F5 wheelchair, he navigates living independently in Long Beach, attending classes, and leading music gigs on the side. He is taking advantage of everything life has to offer despite being diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when he was 4.
Early life
I grew up in the South Bay. I spent the first couple of years of my life in Hermosa Beach and then moved to Torrance around the time I started high school.
I was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when I was about 4. The diagnosis is pretty grim, to say the least. I didn’t follow the typical Duchenne path so I was fortunate that my progression was never as bad as it could have been.
One of my favorite things to do as a kid was art. I have countless memories of art projects that I would attempt, and I have a lot of fond memories of drawing. When I got a little bit older, I really began to enjoy playing video games, especially with my friends, and it was a big social activity in my teenage years.
A passion for design
Right now, I'm going to Cal State Long Beach for graphic design. For the first few years of my college career, I was an English major. I never found that to be my true passion. Sure, I was a good writer, but I felt like doing something more creative.
I always had a good eye for artistic mediums and started doing poster design a few years back to promote my band, Poppy Harlo. Creating these posters inspired me to eventually transition into graphic design as a major, a choice I'm very glad I made.
Cooper with his band, Poppy Harlo
Starting a band
Ever since I started playing guitar and singing about 6 years ago, I had always wanted a band. It's fun to play music alone and it's a great place to start, but there's something very magical about playing with others. It’s a great way to connect with people with common interests and hear their different perspectives. I had some experience playing in a band in my high school called Garage Band, and though it was short-lived, it made me realize how fun it can be to collaborate with others, especially in the context of songwriting.
That’s why I decided to form my band Poppy Harlo in 2022. It’s named after the CNN reporter Poppy Harlow. My dad mentioned it as being a cool band name after seeing her name on TV and it stuck. My band Poppy Harlo’s style is alternative rock, inspired by bands such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains from the 1990s Grunge movement.
The biggest positive about starting a band is the community. Since I started Poppy Harlo, I've met so many great people in other bands that we’ve collaborated with. Everyone in the community is always supportive and helpful, and I made some of my best friends through the band. The hardest part of being in a band for me personally is lack of accessibility. As someone who uses a Permobil F5 wheelchair, navigating onto a stage can often be an ordeal, but we've learned to manage over time. Every show we bring a portable ramp to the venue to get onto the stage and most of the time that works just fine.
I'm very proud of my band, being that I'm one of the only frontmen that have seen in a wheelchair. I think it's cool that I'm able to do this. I feel like a lot of times it's just so easy to give up, so I think it's cool that despite that I just keep living my life and doing as much as I can.
Family, music, and art
My biggest passions are music and graphic design. They’re both really big parts of my life right now. I see myself as a very creative person, so I've always been drawn to those sorts of things. I'm very grateful to have found these passions.
I'd say my favorite hobby is songwriting, there's something really fulfilling about creating something that didn't exist before. It’s almost like solving some sort of puzzle, and it’s always very satisfying once you finally do.
I'm still very close with my family and we spend a lot of time together. I also spend a lot of time with my two dogs too. I have a German Shepherd named Skully and a Poodle mix named Lenny and they're always fun to hang out with.
Rapid fire questions:
Favorite restaurant or place to order takeout food from?
My favorite restaurant is @ Sushi in Long Beach, hands down the best sushi I've ever had and it's like a block from my apartment.
What is your favorite season and why?
My favorite season is summer, I love it when the weather is warm and makes me feel very positive whenever I get fresh air during that time of year.
If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?
If I could have dinner with anyone, I'd say it would be Kurt Cobain from Nirvana, I'd love to hear his take on songwriting and performing.
What is your favorite movie of all time?
My favorite movie of all time has to be the first Deadpool movie.
What was the first concert you went to?
Funnily enough, I think my first concert was Katy Perry. My friend happened to have an extra ticket, and I was like “okay why not,” and ended up having a surprisingly good time.
Content Marketing Specialist - Permobil Americas
Before joining Permobil as content marketing specialist, Hawken was a content strategist for the nonprofit CureDuchenne, creating blogs, emails, and social media content for the Duchenne muscular dystrophy community. For most of his life before that, he worked as a journalist, writing feature stories for BioNews, and reporting on the video game beat for The Washington Post. Following his passion for writing, Hawken graduated from journalism school at the University of Southern California.