It was with the passion to make change in children’s lives that then 25-year-old Jonathan Reid moved 3,000 miles away to Los Angeles for his first cross country experience. After his interview with the Playworks in Southern California, Jonathan was ready to join a team and a cause he believed in.
“It’s all about having fun and being inclusive. So nobody was left out,” Jonathan shared how Playworks works. “It’s the job of the coach to ensure a safe, healthy recess for all students. Whether black, white, latino…, there is a place for you on that playground. The program coordinator will ensure there’s a place for you.. And that your needs are being met. That is what’s near to me at Playworks.”
During his year at Aspire Titan Academy in Huntington Park, CA, Jonathan got to know all 300 students by name and face. In fact, he made sure he built a personal relationship with every kid. He connected with them all, and even had an inside joke with each of them.
It was these deep relationships that Jonathan loved most about his job. “I was bullied a lot as a kid,” he shared. As a Playworks coach, “I was able to give back, prevent this bullying, and make a difference with those kids lives.” Jonathan has since moved beyond the playground. As Intervention Coordinator at UCLA School of Public Health, he takes play and nutrition into workforce.
Jonathan meets and trains wellness champions from several different worksites on encouraging physical activity and nutritious behavior among employees.
“Playworks allowed me to be comfortable in front of people and to build rapport with people,” Jonathan shared. Additionally, he evaluates the success of programs by measuring many people take healthy food from the snack basket and how many employees participate in Instant Recess.
Next year, Jonathan will be applying to medical school. It is with these experiences that he will bring his passion for kids to the field of medicine.
“I think working with kids is one of the best experiences everybody can have. It’s invigorating,” he said. “Children are so resilient. We really take that for granted. Youth are exposed to so much. It is definitely a critical period that needs to be approached with care. As a pediatrician, I’ll be able to make the impact I want and help to prevent the negative influences that life would be able to impose on them.”
That’s the kind of pediatricians we want to see in this world.
Jonathan’s favorite quote is “Deep meaning often lies in childish play” by writer Friedrich von Schiller. “The main goal of a child is to have fun and enjoy their youth and how can you ensure that every child gets that,” Jonathan shared. “Playworks does a fantastic job of making that a reality for all kids.”
