David Jones
Board of Director of Hope 21 Ministries
Traveler
Culinary Arts
Disc Jockey
Poet
Creator
Whether working in an office, conducting an Agile meeting in a war room, managing a data center with really smart people, DeeJaying a celebration, or delivering food and clean water to a child halfway around the world, my mission is the same,
"Love God, Love People & Change the World".
Personal PROFILE
I was Born in the Bronx, New York where Hip Hop originated at Lebanon Hospital. Raised by a single mother, my older brother and I grew up poor in the Bronx. Welfare and free school lunches were a normal thing for us. When you grow up less fortunate you really don’t comprehend until you get older, so it wasn’t a bad thing. I actually believe it was a great thing because I appreciate all I have now. As my mother continued her education we slowly moved out of the projects. My mother is a school teacher in the Bronx at PS 91 and has been teaching for 35+ years. During my adolescence, we moved about 14 times. That was our pilgrimage out the hood. From the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, NJ, back to NY, the moving rollercoaster ride was fun. We dealt with our fair share of drama growing up from abuses, hospital visit and even being locked up in a CPS (Child Protective Services) hospital in Brooklyn, but it’s the journey that makes us stronger so c’est la vie.
My summers were very consistent because I was able to go to a sleepaway summer camps (Camp Commanche & Tri-State Christian Camp) in upstate NY which had a significant impact on my life. As I grew older I worked as a part-time counselor and worked in the kitchen. I found a passion for cooking and decided to do a Culinary Arts Vocational program when I was in high school. I graduated with a Culinary Arts Degree from Orange County Vocational school.
During my high school years, I started writing poetry which evolved into rapping. I later discovered my fascination with music and beat creation. After graduating High School I forgo my Culinary Arts aspirations and decided to go to Evangel University in Springfield, MO to pursue a Mass Communication Degree where I could become a disc jockey and pursue a music career. I had a very successful radio show on campus but decided to leave college after two years due to not liking the Mid-West culture and being homesick.
During one of the lowest point of my life, I found myself working at a Walmart in Newburgh, NY. I think I worked there for a week and knew I need to do better for myself. I quickly tailored up my resume and knew I could get a cooking job making decent money, but strangely enough, I found myself at the airport. I walked up to the ticket counter and asked if they were hiring. They said yes and I filled out the application. I’m not sure how I landed that job, (Actually, I do, I had the same birthday as the Station Manager and that caught her eye) but It was such a blessing. I worked hard and within a year I became the assistant station manager. That job turned into a career for me and I was flying to DC and Chicago for training. After September 11th the aviation industry took a major hit and I decided to relocate to Richmond, VA and pursue a career in Information Technology. During my tenure in school, I worked at the University of Richmond as a Chef/Cook. I also continued my music career and released a couple of CDs.
I started helping out at my local church where I assisted in youth programs, assisted in audio and visual, created websites, planned community events, and spoke at engagements. The church gave me a platform to use all of my skills from Culinary Arts, Music, IT, Project Management Public Speaking, and Event Management. I also was introduced to mission work which is a great passion of mind. I love to travel and give back so mission work is an incredible way to do just that.
My dream is to live overseas and work with local churches and governments to help stabilize the economy by strengthening the people through education, spiritual growth and creating employment opportunities by having an entrepreneurial mindset. My goal would be to find a job where I could work remotely to support my family and pay my pimp, Sallie Mae, AKA Navient.