RED LAKE — Careers don't always follow a straight line.
Sometimes, it takes some meandering to find what you were meant to do.
"I spent my formative years not forming, and I kind of bounced all over. I lived in a whole bunch of different places," Jones said during a recent Bright Spot conversation on the KAXE Morning Show.
That meandering has taken him a long way, however — all the way to statewide recognition as a recipient of the Virginia McKnight Binger Heart of Community Honor last year. He was one of seven people recognized at a ceremony on Nov. 18, 2025.
According to the McKnight Foundation, the people honored are "everyday champions from across the state whose compassion and contributions serve as the heartbeat of our communities, inspiring others to join in creating a more caring and connected state."
Jones said he was surprised to learn he was chosen out of hundreds of applicants.
"I'm definitely someone who doesn't like the spotlight that much ... but I am really excited about what we're doing," he said.
Jones' jobs ranged from managing a vineyard, working in a factory and drumming in a touring band. He earned a two-year degree from Tallahassee Community College in Florida before moving north.
When he took his first hydrology course at Bemidji State University, he described it as a "light bulb moment," where he discovered that he could make water his career.
After finding his passion as a hydrologist with the Red Lake Department of Natural Resources, Jones now leads the youth internship program. He said the work is comparable to the Civilian Conservation Corps.
"[Jones'] outdoor youth work programs offer opportunities steeped in Anishinaabe cultural values for youth to engage in such outdoor activities as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dirt bike racing, outdoor recreation park building, mountain biking, forest trail system building, cultural learning workshops and outdoor community events," stated the McKnight Foundation on its website.
"He has a special focus on youth who are in the foster care and juvenile detention systems, as well as people with physical limitations. His work both connects young people to positive adult influences while simultaneously addressing disparities."
One of the group's biggest projects has been cleaning up a beach on Red Lake. Jones and his crew also partnered with Endazhi-Nitaawiging Charter School to focus on outdoor recreation. Youth workers are building a skating rink on a small lake in the area. They are also working on a ricing camp on an island in the Lake of the Woods.
"I'm really proud of the youth that I have working for me and have been working with," Jones said. "I keep telling them, 'This is our award.'"
Listen to our full conversation above!
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The Bright Spot is made possible by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of Minnesota.
