By Katie Vasquez

There’s an open door policy at John Rullan’s office in William H Maxwell Career and Technical Education high school in East New York.

The Brooklyn principal says he is always open to hearing from students. 

“When you see how you impact kids’ lives, it makes the job worth it,” he tells Currents News.

He adds that spending a whole school day together creates a bond between students and teacher, and the administrator views these teens as his own children. 

“You’re with them so much that you become emotionally attached,” he explains. “When things go wrong and something happens to them, it happens to you.” 

That frame of thinking has been a comfort to scholars who didn’t expect to enjoy going to the principal’s office.

“What I find is he basically is one with his students,” Doniele Brown, a senior at William H Maxwell Career and Technical Education High School, tells Currents News. “He’s trying to look out for everybody, be on their side, get to understand who they are as a person.”

“I feel like he controls the school with a sense of love rather than fear, which I think is a great motivator for the students,” fellow Aden Martine says of Rullan.

His bond with his students comes from his roots  – he grew up in the neighborhood, attending St. Fortunata parish in Brooklyn and says he tries to instill Catholic values like corporal acts of mercy in his students.

For example when he came aboard in 2022 he created a food pantry, recognizing that some students couldn’t afford a good meal. 

“I feel that when they see others in need, they realize that their lives are not as bad as they think they are. And so I think it’s very important to really give back to the community and society as a whole, to make these students successful in life,” Rullan says.

His efforts to better his students lives outside the classroom is being recognized by his peers at the Catholic Teachers Association. It’s an accomplishment he doesn’t take for granted. 

“I was like, ‘Wow.’ I was shocked. But deep down inside, it’s always nice to be appreciated and to be recognized for all the things that you do,” he admits.

It’s rewarding for him to think he’s helping these students get on the path to success just by being an attentive listener. 

“When the kids come back year after year and thank you for not giving up on them and really helping them to be successful, it makes you want to do more and give back more,” Rullan says.