Daniel Jones

Today, Maggie and I interviewed Daniel Jones. 

He’s a Harbor School graduate of 2020 from the Vessel Operations program and is currently in his senior year of college studying Marketing Communications at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. He worked as a deckhand for New York Water Taxi, and at 19, he received his US Coast Guard 100 Ton Masters Licence!

 Born in New York, Jones spent eight years living in London, moved to California, where he lived for some time, and then moved back to New York. He told us that he was only especially involved in something involving the maritime industry beyond going on boats once in a while when he was younger. During the NYC high school application process, he learned about Harbor School through flyers and photos online, got into Harbor School, and chose to join Vessel Operations as his CTE program. While in Vessel Operations, he gained a Safe Boating Certificate, CPR training from the American Red Cross, and his OSHA 10-Hour Health and Safety Training Certificate! Jones said that despite not wanting to spend his entire life working in the maritime industry, he still works for BOP seasonally and would love to come back and work for Harbor School and BOP on the marketing side of things, even spending some time working in Waterfront Club!

  I found myself relating to Mr. Jones on a personal level. I also haven’t grown up with much knowledge about the maritime industry. 

Since both my parents work in media and entertainment and many people in my family are prone to seasickness, I didn’t spend much time on boats beyond the occasional ferry ride when I was younger. The main thing that exposed me to boating was my passion for fishing, ultimately leading me to Harbor School. Like Mr. Jones, I decided to join Vessel Operations once I became a student here, and I’m now the first person in my family to hold any boating certification!  At the moment, Maggie and I aren’t exactly sure whether or not we want to pursue maritime studies through college and as a career path. Whether we do or not, it’s great to know about the opportunities available to us in the marine industry, and just like Daniel Jones, we have Harbor School to thank for that knowledge!

By Mickey Siegel and Margaret Harahan