BEFORE
THE TITLES.

Finding my footing.

I was born in New York City and moved to Pine Hills with my father, Kirk O’Neil, when I was eleven. My childhood included frequent moves, missed school, and periods of homelessness. At times, keeping up academically meant catching up after another disruption.

By my senior year at Evans High School, I was an unaccompanied youth navigating housing instability. Finishing school required support as well as determination.

Those difficult circumstances are part of my story, alongside a father who did everything he could to make sure I had what I needed. His love and effort belong at the center of that story. That history is part of why opportunity matters to me. A student’s circumstances can affect their education long before anyone looks at a transcript. My own path depended on people who saw what I could become and helped me keep going.

My father.
So much of who I am.

My father, Kirk O’Neil, did everything he could to make sure I had what I needed. When I look at how far I have come, I see his love, his sacrifices, and the ways he kept pushing me forward. I want that part of my story to be seen and understood.

He has been a provider, a protector, and a teacher. He taught me through his example: how to keep going through adversity, how to lead with integrity, and how to give of yourself for the people you love. He supported me even when he did not fully understand where the journey would take me.

Some of what he carried happened behind the scenes. The burdens he shouldered and the doors he helped open gave me room to dream bigger and move further. My gratitude for him reaches into every chapter that follows.

I call him my King. I am proud to be his son, and beyond grateful for his unconditional love and continued support. The strength, perseverance, and sense of purpose I bring to my life carry his influence.

People made
possibility real.

During high school, Future Leaders United became an important part of my life. Through United Foundation of Central Florida, I found mentorship, structure, community engagement, and opportunities to practice leadership.

Sandra Fatmi-Hall and the people around UFCF helped me stay connected to school and to a future I could work toward. I became the program’s first student president and took on youth leadership responsibilities in the community.

This was where service became something I participated in. I could help shape programs, represent other young people, and contribute ideas. I was receiving support while learning that I had something to offer, too.

A wider horizon.
A deeper commitment.

My connection to Morehouse started before I enrolled. Summer experiences through Upward Bound and TRIO introduced me to the campus, its students, and the possibility of studying there. Support from UFCF and the Bonner Scholars Program helped turn that possibility into a college education.

At Morehouse, I studied political science and continued serving through the Bonner Office of Community Service. Civic engagement became a significant part of that work, including voter education and encouraging students to take part in the decisions affecting their communities.

In 2021, while finishing my undergraduate degree, I joined News 6’s Real Talk town hall on obstacles and opportunities. I spoke about my experiences alongside my work supporting young people, scholarships, and community service. I was learning to bring my personal story into a larger conversation about access and equity.

I graduated from Morehouse in 2021. My relationship with the College continued through alumni engagement and opportunities to return and speak with students. Those conversations have included owning your narrative, imposter syndrome, graduate school, and what leadership can look like for Black and Brown men.

The next chapter
led back to community.

My work with UFCF continued as my responsibilities grew. The organization had been part of my life as a student. Later, I served on its Junior Board, moved into organizational leadership, and took on executive responsibilities.

Today, I serve as Chief Relationship Officer and First Vice President. My work connects people and resources through partnerships, external engagement, philanthropy, and organizational coordination.

There is a direct connection between those responsibilities and my own experience. Mentorship, scholarships, and access to a supportive network mattered in my life. Helping build those opportunities for others gives the work a personal foundation.

Returning to Pine Hills also meant continuing to participate in the community’s future. I had been a young person represented by community organizations. I was now taking on more responsibility within them.

Experience gave me questions.
Education gave me tools.

After Morehouse, I continued my education at the University of Central Florida. I earned a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management in 2023, followed by a Master of Nonprofit Management and a Master of Public Administration in 2026.

These fields meet in the work I do. Nonprofits need clear missions, capable leadership, sound operations, and the resources to keep serving. Public administration adds another perspective on institutions, policy, accountability, and how decisions affect communities.

Studying while working across organizations connected the classroom to practical questions: how to organize a program, support a team, develop a partnership, and make a plan that can be carried out.

I also earned the Certified Nonprofit Professional and Advanced Certified Nonprofit Professional credentials through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. Together, my education and experience form the preparation I bring into each new role.

Making room
for more than one calling.

Community work is a central part of my life, alongside entrepreneurship and storytelling. Each gives me a different way to contribute.

In 2020, while at Morehouse, Zachary Heneden and I co-founded The Last Shot Podcast. It became a place for conversation, curiosity, and exploring the people behind the stories. That work is now part of the Last Shot Media Group ecosystem, which also includes LEDGERA Magazine.

In 2024, I founded The JSO Consulting Group. Through the firm, I help organizations think through strategy, leadership, operations, communications, and the practical work behind their goals.

These platforms bring different parts of my experience together. Consulting lets me help an organization find its next step. Media creates room for cultural conversations and creative voices. Both depend on listening carefully, understanding people, and following an idea through.

Leading in the place
that helped shape me.

My involvement with the Pine Hills Community Council began as a student member in 2014. Over time, I served in additional roles, including director and vice president. In 2026, I became its youngest and first Gen Z president.

My PACE Administration centers Participation, Accessibility, Collaboration, and Excellence. Those priorities connect to a practical question: how can more residents participate in the work and decisions shaping Pine Hills?

The Council’s history brings responsibility. I am working alongside residents, businesses, public partners, and leaders from different generations. Progress depends on those relationships and on making space for people to contribute.

My story is one example of what this community can help make possible. Its future includes many more people and possibilities than any single story can capture.

There is a person
inside every role.

My life also has a creative side. Through EchoesOfMalique, I write as J. Malique X about love, identity, growth, resilience, and boundaries. Poetry gives those experiences a different form from a speech, a strategy document, or a public conversation.

Returning to Morehouse to discuss imposter syndrome and owning your story is another part of that fuller picture. Education, professional titles, and recognition can sit alongside an ongoing process of reflection and growth.

My roles continue to evolve. The connection between them remains the same: people, opportunity, and the possibility of building something meaningful together.

That is the story behind the work you see here. A life grounded in my father’s love, shaped by community, expanded through education, and expressed through service, enterprise, and creativity. Still being written.