By NewsLine staff
The Jones Fellows Program at The Bolles School officially kicked off on August 22 with an evening filled with celebration and remembrance of the program’s namesake, J. Malcolm Jones Jr. ’71.
The Welcome Dinner marked an important milestone as fourteen Bolles juniors, selected to be the inaugural Jones Fellows, met their mentors — all Bolles alumni — for the very first time, beginning a year-long journey of personal reflection, career exploration and self-discovery. Each Fellow was carefully paired with a mentor by Mentorship Program Coordinator Ellie Dalkin.
The inaugural Jones Fellows and their mentors are: Eva Beardsley ’28 and Sally Ball Sharp ’92; Mamie Burkett ’28 and Christine Gaitantzis ’14; Eamon Cantor ’28 and Joey Frisco ’16; Alyssa Castleman ’28 and Chanley Dudley ’99; Mia Lee Chong ’28 and Paula Aduen ’07; Adam Grinberg-Korczyn ’28 and Ryan Williams ’06; Reema Nihalani ’28 and Lindsay Tygart ’98; Kaliyah Perkins ’28 and Rachna Krish ’99; Paige Sandifer ’28 and Morgan Perry ’13; Jack Thomas ’28 and Aarian Afshari ’07; Charlotte Verlander ’28 and Courtney Reames ’01; Brendan Walrath ’28 and Ralph Rizk ’05; Reggie Wilson ’28 and Jordan Garside ’10; and Adi Yadav ’28 and Tim Miller ’05.
The evening also honored the program’s namesake. Malcolm’s wife of 45 years, Leslie Jones, shared how the idea for a mentorship program came to be: in the years following her husband’s passing, she and her son, Malcolm ’96, began hearing stories from people of all walks of life about how Malcolm had impacted them through mentorship. Those stories, along with Malcolm’s deep love for Bolles, inspired the Jones family to create something that could carry his legacy forward.
“Maybe down the road sometime, you’ll think about something one of these mentors has said to you — something that impacted you and you didn’t know it at the time,” Leslie told the Fellows.
Each Fellow later introduced their mentor to the group — a fitting start to a year Dalkin hopes will help students “get to know your mentor, not simply for what they do, but for who they are and how they became that person.”
Over the coming year, Fellows and mentors will meet monthly and hear from guest speakers and community leaders. “When we pour our time, our treasures and our talents into people, we’re the ones that are the most blessed,” Leslie said.
Learn more about the J. Malcolm Jones Jr. Mentorship Program at bolles.org/bolles-alumni/jones-mentorship-program.
