We were lucky to catch up with Amaru Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Amaru , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Is there a heartwarming story from your career that you look back on?

One heartwarming story that I always kept to myself is “The day I learned how to tie a tie”. The reason that this story means a a lot to me is because it was one of my most vulnerable times I have had as a young man. The story takes place because I was heading to my senior year athletic awards night. It was the last sports banquet that I will ever have and I knew I had to look very “sharp”. Although, one thing that I knew I would have to do while getting ready for this event is to put on an actual tie and not just a clip on that I would usually wear. So I began to watch YouTube videos on how to tie a tie. I practiced about ten to fifteen times before I actually knew how to really tie a tie. It was for sure a process lol.

The reason that this story means a lot to me because it was something that I never learned because most of the immediate male figures in my life didn’t know how to tie a tie either. It also made me think of my father a lot because I believed that these are the things that a young man should learn at a young age and he wasn’t there physically to not only support me and be proud of his son for his awards that he has garnered over the years but also be there for the small moments like these. Me learning how to tie a tie signified me becoming a young man and appreciating the small victories in life because that is what life is all about.

The small details.

Amaru , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am the President of The Leaders Of The New School a non profit organization that is located in Huntington Station, New York. Our main goal is and will always be to provide empowerment and programs to enhance the youth afflicted by the inequalities of economic, social, and political injustice. Our group was created in June 2020 which was a time in American History that the United States will never forget. My childhood friends and I decided to create an organization for children that can better opportunities than we had when we growing up. I was voted on by the individuals of my group to operate as the president of the organization, which I am thankful for and those individuals motivate me everyday. We have had a countless initiatives that we are proud of. From getting 1.2 million dollars allocated to a park in our neighborhood to providing a historical marker for Booker T. Washington because of his contribution to the Huntington community.

In my professional life I am a 7th Grade World History Teacher and where I teach an accelerated curriculum. With a passion to eventually get into education policy and youth advocacy.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Encourage each other. A lot of times as humans we are extremely hard on ourselves naturally. I believe that certain people can hear certain phrases or key words to get them going. in the right direction that will not only help themselves but overall help your organization because of the positivity that is being spread from one another.

Do you think you’d choose a different profession or specialty if you were starting now?

Yes, I believe that I always destined to take this road based off the experiences I have seen and been around as a child. From my uncles working on political campaigns to my mother creating her own non profit forepeople in the community I feel like it was Destiney. It showed me things that helps me currently to this day..

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Organizations @theleadersofthenewschool_ and My instagram _awj_18
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/amaruwjones