FEATURED ALUMNI: Anthony Jenkins

Anthony+Jenkins+%28left%29%2C+shown+here+with+his+brother+Matt%2C+is+a+track+supervisor+with+Norfolk+Southern.

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Anthony Jenkins (left), shown here with his brother Matt, is a track supervisor with Norfolk Southern.

Jojo Caswell, Staff Writer

As a young man Anthony Jenkins was not thinking he would be working on the railroad when he envisioned his future. There were other plans in store for him until a friend got him a job at Norfolk Sothern.

“This definitely wasn’t my first choice,” Jenkins said. “I kind of fell into this when my friend got me this job and I found that it is something I am good at.”

Jenkins graduated from Bellwood-Antis in 2008. During his time at B-A he was involved in football, track and baseball in high school. His senior year the football team won the District 6 1A championship.

High school and playing sports taught me how to overcome adversity and think on the fly

— Anthony Jenkins

Jenkins is a track supervisor at Norfolk Sothern, in charge of track from Alliance, OH to Mansfield, OH, and he manages 105 miles of track. He was hired 7 years ago and he has worked in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and now Ohio.

He has been promoted four times in the last three years after being originally hired as a laborer who was then was promoted to management. He has found that leading people is something he is very good at, which is something he credits to his time at Bellwood-Antis.

“High school and playing sports taught me how to overcome adversity and think on the fly, which is stuff I have to do every day in my job,” he said. “Things change every second, so having the ability to make quick decisions is what makes me good at what I do.”

Right out of high school Jenkins worked at the American Eagle Paper Mill in Tyrone; he then he joined the Army National Guard as a part of the infantry.

His hobbies include hanging out with friends and family and going to the gym.

Jenkins’ brother Matt was a focus for the BluePrint’s Featured Alumni section in 2016.