GETtoKNOW Jamel

Nearly impossible was the task of getting more than five minutes with Jamel on a Saturday morning. I snapped the first two photos on a brisk walk up Enright when I expressed that I desperately needed any individual picture.

Plenty were the number of shots of him working hard in the gardens or with his team.

When we finally sat down to chat, I realized five minutes was all I needed because our interview was essentially and unexpectedly rapid fire. Jamel not only speaks intelligently but insanely fast. His awareness comes early in our interview when he offers to slow down as he notices my pen flying across my journal trying to keep up.

I found some common ground when Jamel shared with me what he wanted to be when he was younger: rich. His desires have since changed and he credits that to his relationship with God. He sees himself attending a Christian college, studying youth ministry and working in a church, ever-gaining knowledge and wisdom that will aid him in being a better leader and a better man.