Security personnel and CRLS alumnus Mr. Nkrumah Jones has been a beloved staff member, mentor, and role model in the CRLS community during his extensive career at the school. To get to know him better, the Register Forum interviewed him in person for details about his experiences, passions, and goals.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision. 

Register Forum: How long have you been at CRLS and what is your role in the CRLS community?

Nkrumah Jones: This is my thirteenth year at the high school. I’ve had many roles, but my current role is a safety specialist at the school. I’ve worked as an academic coordinator at the BRYT (Bridge for Resilient Youth in Transition) program, which is a program [I helped found] that serves students who are suffering from mental health issues. I also worked as a paraprofessional in my previous years here.

RF: What is your favorite part of working at CRLS?

NJ: I love interacting with young people whose minds and hearts you can mold and shape as you interact with them. It’s you all’s high school career, and I just love interacting with kids from all different cultures and diasporas. It’s a joy to work with folks that get to know me, and I get to know them, and we teach each other our cultures and our ways.

RF: Is there a particularly meaningful experience you had during your time at CRLS?

NJ: [What’s meaningful] is that I know I’ve been a mentor to hundreds of young people in the school. There are a lot of [experiences] that have been very meaningful to me. Just knowing that I’ve impacted a lot of lives because students come back to visit and ask for me a lot lets me know that the impact I initially made during their formative years has been very, very positive—and that’s what I strive to do: be very, very positive with as many students as I can. When students come back to visit, send me emails, tell me where they’re working now, and even bring back their children—some people even have children at this point––it’s very fulfilling to know that I was a good part of the fabric of their community at the time.

RF: What advice do you have for CRLS students?

NJ: This is a wonderful school with a lot of options. You have to seek out those options; they’re not always in plain sight. If you have any types of goals, you should speak to as many teachers, guidance counselors, and administrative staff and share what your future goals are, because you never know … Someone may have a connection for you that they can link you with or just someone in your corner to give you a pep talk when things are bleak or down or when you can’t see the forest through the trees. That person would be your backbone. My point is that students should seek out as many new relationships as well as strengthen current relationships so that they can widen their base. The resources are just bountiful, so you should zone in and take advantage of the clubs, the classes, and the events we have at this school.

This article also appeared in the November 2022 print edition.