Jamal

Materials Expert

A Brooklyn kid sharp with his hands, quick with ideas, and always ready to lead the next big build. He’s the team’s materials expert and a natural leader who takes pride in getting things right. Outside the lab, he’s skateboarding through the city or planning his next chess move. 

JAMAL IS: Fun, confident, and intensely curious about the physical world around him. He can spend hours examining a piece of bamboo or a handful of mud. Jamal believes every material has a story and a purpose, and his job is to figure out what they are. Jamal has a gift for understanding people the same way he understands materials; he can sense when friends are upset, even when they’re trying to hide it. He tends to be the group’s peacemaker when conflicts arise. Kingston leads with words; Jamal leads by example. 

PEOPLE SEE JAMAL AS: The one who somehow always knows exactly what’s going to work, whether it’s materials or helping his friends work through problems. 

JAMAL SEES HIMSELF AS: Just trying to help his friends understand each other and the world a little better. 

JAMAL’S FRIENDSHIP STRENGTH: Empathy. He naturally understands how his friends are feeling and accepts them without judgment. 

JAMAL’S FRIENDSHIP CHALLENGE: Focusing on everyone else’s conflicts and harmony makes it easy to avoid his own problems.