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From Bus-Stop Questions to Colleagues: How a 10‑Year‑Old's Curiosity Launched a Metro Career

Years after a curious 10‑year‑old peppered his bus driver with questions and toured a depot, Joy Kenley and former passenger Sam Mencimer reunited — this time as colleagues at the Washington Metro. Kenley became a Metrorail station manager while Sam interned with the transit agency and now works as a signal engineer. Their reunion highlights how simple acts of mentorship and kindness can shape a young person’s career path.

02:40 AM, 11/24/2025Society
From Bus-Stop Questions to Colleagues: How a 10‑Year‑Old's Curiosity Launched a Metro Career

For years, Joy Kenley opened the doors of Washington, D.C.’s Metro buses to streams of commuters beginning their day. Most riders rode in silence — but one regular passenger stood out: Sam Mencimer, a bright 10‑year‑old who preferred the front of the bus and loved to ask questions.

“I started standing at the front of the bus,” Mencimer recalled, “and asking lots of questions.” He wanted to know what a red button did, where buses parked at night and how routes were assigned. Kenley answered each question with patience, and their daily exchanges became a comforting routine over nearly two years.

One day, Kenley invited Sam and his family on a behind‑the‑scenes tour of a bus depot. He pushed the buttons he had been curious about, lowered the wheelchair ramp and entered his name on a destination sign — experiences he later described as “the coolest thing ever.”

A Lasting Influence

As Sam moved into middle school he began riding the Metrorail and gradually lost touch with Kenley. Kenley’s driving route eventually ended and she moved into a role as a Metrorail station manager. Sam’s curiosity never faded: he interned with the transit agency while in college and, after graduating, took a job as a signal engineer with the same system.

In August, more than a decade after their first conversations, the two reunited when Sam — now in a Metro uniform — knocked on the station manager’s office door. The moment was a reminder of how simple kindness and mentorship can have long, unexpected effects.

“I was making his day; he was making mine,” Kenley said. “I’m very proud of Sam.”

Sam credits those early moments of encouragement with helping guide his career and says he now looks for ways to offer similar opportunities to others who show curiosity about transit work.

Why it matters: This story illustrates how small acts of encouragement and access to hands‑on experiences can inspire career choices and strengthen community within public service.

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