“This Is Where I Belong”

by Jeffrey Stanley and Susan Price ’86

Crystal Backus ’96 has always aimed high. As a child growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, she dreamed of becoming a dentist one day. Later, as a high school student at BFS, she discovered and nurtured new talents in art and dance. All along, in every path she traveled, Crystal was developing her innate gift to relate to her peers as well as to people of all backgrounds.

“My nickname in high school was Grandma,” she laughs, a nod to her nurturing, supportive, and stabilizing role among her friends. Self-described as a “quiet and organized type,” she was class president in 10th grade and always active in dance. Many of her classmates have creative and artistic talents and have moved into education and non-profits. “There aren’t too many corporate types in our group,” she says.

Today Crystal lives in Lefferts Gardens and has returned to BFS this year as an Associate Director of Admissions, a position in which the alum feels right at home. Her focus is on the Upper School, where she was a student for all four years.

Although she majored in art history and dance in college, passions that she developed while a student in the Upper School, Crystal also remained interested in working in education or a nonprofit, something else she attributes to high school. After graduating from George Washington University, Crystal went to work at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), where she still works on weekends. She also volunteers with the All Stars Project, a non-profit in Crown Heights that seeks to develop inner-city youth through performance and theater.

“When I was a student at Brooklyn Friends I always enjoyed doing community service, which is why I continued doing it in college and now as a working professional.”

Simultaneously with her work at BAM, Crystal found a position as a recruiter at a staffing agency, which she worked at for several years. Her recruiting skills were part of the reason the admissions position at her alma mater was so appealing to her. She also views admissions work as an area in which she can further develop the skills of listening, interviewing individuals, formulating questions, thinking on your feet, being at ease in one-on-one situations, and being able to see people’s potential. “These are crucial for success in the non-profit world,” she explains.

Recounting her time in the Upper School, Crystal remembers making great friends over the years. She recalls “the sense of community and feeling—‘This is where I belong.’ ” Academically, the subject she enjoyed most was Art History with Mark Buenzle. “He made the class exciting.” She credits Buenzle with her decision to minor in art history in college.

Today, Crystal continues to study—and to aim high. While taking dance classes in African and Afro-Caribbean styles, she also attends workshops in grant-writing at the Foundation Center. She plans to go to graduate school to earn a master’s in arts administration, aspiring to start her own non-profit arts organization. She envisions a place where young people can work on any talent in visual and performing arts for the purpose of showcasing their work to the larger arts community.

Her advice to the current generation of students: “Cherish your friendships because they will last forever. Remember who you are because it will allow you to strive once you’re on your own, and most of all, speak up for yourself. I have always cherished the fact that I was able to voice my opinion as a student.”