PJ Jones ’03

PJ JonesPJ Jones, FXW class of 2003, met his best friends in pre-school. “Students at FXW form very close bonds,” says Jones. “Even though we went to different high schools and colleges, the kids I met at the age of three at FXW are still my best friends,” he says.
 
Jones ascribes his continued friendships with fellow FXW alumni to the strong sense of community that FXW has built. “The students at FXW…come from different parts of the city, different religious backgrounds, different economic backgrounds, and, yet, FXW is able to bring them together as one community,” he says.
 
Jones is the oldest of six, all of whom attended or are attending FXW. “My family is incredibly grateful for the support that the Children at the Crossroads Foundation has provided,” he says. “I grew-up in Wicker Park and our local schools were quite good, but they could not provide the type of experience that FXW provides,” Jones continues. “The Children at the Crossroads Foundation made the FXW experience possible for us,” says Jones.
 
After graduating FXW in 2003, Jones attended Fenwick High School in Oak Park and then enrolled at Florida A&M for his undergraduate studies.
 
Jones says that the most important lesson he learned at FXW was the importance of giving back. He works with Swishdreams, a non-profit that teaches math and reading skills through basketball. Jones played basketball at FXW and coached the 7th and 8th grade teams for several years. He currently coaches St. Benedict High School’s basketball and track teams.
 
Jones will graduate from Florida A&M in May of 2014 and hopes to find a job in human resources.