Today we’d like to introduce you to Nashawn Craig.
Hi Nashawn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Since the day I started school and riding school buses back in 2006, I had an extreme interest that’s led me down paths and introduced me to some amazing people in the past 17 years. I always had the interest, but for some reason, it exploded when routes were reconfigured in Romulus for my 5th-grade year, and I was moved to a different bus with a different driver. At the time, it made me want to start documenting school buses as well as other things that caught my eye in and around Romulus through photos and videos. Before I knew it, I always had a camera in my hand, and I was always being asked to capture photos of events and people during high school. I was president of Yearbook and took most of the photos in my senior yearbook for Romulus High (2018-2019). My interest in school buses, in particular International/IC Buses, also helped to develop my desire and urgency to volunteer during middle school. A few friends and I heard about an organization called Leadership (affiliated with the Family, Career, Community Leaders of America, otherwise known as FCCLA) where we did volunteer events around the school and community and then created a project following a rubric based on the events we did and were judged based on how well we followed the rubric. A few friends and I thought it may be cool to join, plus I knew I’d get to ride a different bus home. I enjoyed being a part of that so much that I stayed with the organization throughout high school and have placed so well at states that my groups and I traveled to nationals many years in a row to different places around the country (Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; and Anaheim, CA) as well as winning national awards. I enjoyed volunteer work so much that I applied and became the president of our branch of the National Honor Society (NHS) my senior year and had the most volunteer hours. When I graduated, I immediately applied and was hired to work for Romulus Schools transportation department as a School Bus Monitor for special needs students. A year and 3 months later, during COVID, at the age of 19, I applied and was hired to be a School Bus Driver/Maintenance Personnel for Taylor Schools, something I had dreamed of since that day in 2006. In early 2020, I bought the bus that started it all from Romulus, bus # 03-12, and have since started a non-profit called, The 0312 Foundation, where we create and publish content to promote school bus safety for students, drivers, and motorist alike, We also help with fundraisers, “Stuff the Bus” events and decorate/ride in parades for the holidays. That little boy that loved buses is now 21 years old and following his dreams in the Pupil Transportation industry. Till this day, when I need peace, I take that bus that started it all on a drive around town with my camera nearby and listening to my favorite artist, Dolly Parton. Her life, philosophy, music, movie roles, speeches/interviews, and philanthropy have inspired my life so much for the better making me want to dream more, learn more, care more, and be more among other things. She’s not the only one I have to thank for inspiring me; my parents and family, the Romulus Bus Drivers (my second family), many individuals and leaders in the Pupil Transportation field, my Romulus advisors/teachers, and many others.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As with everyone, there’s always obstacles in life. I’m going through the struggles of just about every young person in America and even around the world: worry about your career, questioning if you’re in the right field; wanting to move out but not being able to afford to; balancing work, college, and social life; trying to learn how to do adult tasks such as doing taxes or buying a car/insurance; enduring mental health struggles such as anxiety and depression; wondering who your real friends are and who you can and can’t trust; looking at what’s going on in this country and worrying about what’s going to happen next all at the same time. Online college life during COVID was another huge struggle that I’m still working on overcoming.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m currently a school bus driver/maintenance personnel for Taylor Schools. I do photography and videography on the side, and I specialize in events and nature. I love to capture moments in time to preserve forever, and I love to capture photos while people are in the moment of living their life, candid we call it.
As a school bus driver, we are responsible for a lot more than people think/know. I wrote this excerpt on National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day: Being a school bus driver is often a thankless job and has one of the highest distraction rates with the most at stake. We are the first school employees up and at work in the morning long before daylight to warm the bus up and to perform a pre-trip inspection to ensure that the bus is safe for students to ride each and every day. We are expected to watch the road/traffic (whom often times have no respect for us, cutting us off, running the stop sign, etc.), as well as pay attention to the kids and ensure they’re being safe: sitting down, not fighting, keeping their hands to themselves, being respectful towards each other, etc. (doing all that while not knowing the student’s names [if you’re a sub] and being a sub kid will try to run all over you), while listening to the CB radio (for constant communication), while reading a route sheet (to know where to go), while driving in oftentimes an unfamiliar area, while trying to keep a time schedule, many times in inclement weather, among other things. Bus drivers are expected to see/watch everything on the road and inside the bus at the same time, yet most of the time, school bus drivers are the only adult on the bus with upwards of 77+ kids. We do all that while commonly being underappreciated and underpaid…garbage truck drivers often make more, yet, school bus drivers are transporting the future, precious and priceless cargo. Mind you; all this is in a perfect workplace. Throw in workplace and management BS on top of all that in many places, and they wonder why there’s a nationwide school bus driver shortage. One wrong move and school bus drivers will be all over social media and on the 6 o’clock news while being sued. People commonly tell school bus drivers, “I could never do your job,” but oftentimes still look down on us.
I’m most proud of my dedication to my work and that I always have the push, drive, and motivation to move up as well as my ability to network. What sets me part is many people at the age of 21 would find this career path rather difficult and stressful (which it is), but I’m almost 4 years into the field and haven’t given up yet. When I became a driver, I was the youngest driver by many years. I started driving a bus in Taylor which I was not familiar with the area, only a few of the main streets. Now, I can jump on a bus and know exactly where I’m going and get the job done. I’m known for being the “School Bus Enthusiast” or the “favorite” at work.
What does success mean to you?
I define success by being happy. If you’ve achieved happiness and inner peace, you’ve achieved success.
Contact Info:
- Website: 0312photography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/0312_photography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/0312Photography
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/0312Photography
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@0312Foundation
- Other: https://www.facebook.com/The0312Foundation
Image Credits
0312 Photography
Nashawn Craig
