Today we’d like to introduce you to Khalil Shakeel.
Hi Khalil, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story go long, so I will shorten it. I’m originally from North Philadelphia. I was raised with many obstacles to overcome, no father around, a mother who eventually was addicted to Crack Cocaine, and battled alcohol addiction because it ran in my family. After the age of 12, I was what would be defined as homeless, so I had to live with my Aunt, while my mother and my younger sister lived in a room that my mother rented from a lady, her and my sister only had access to the room and bathroom.
I struggled to make it out of high school on time, not because I was not smart, it was the environment I was being raised in, nothing about it said go be successful. One day after having a conversation with my favorite English teacher the light came on, she said to me, “if you choose to do nothing with your life, your life will turn out just like many of those in your neighborhood, and she suggested that I take some night classes to catch up, so I went to day school and night school in order to graduate on time, with mostly “D’s.” After I graduated, I was sitting on the corner with my best friend “Greek,” (who’s now deceased, shot dead in our neighborhood at the age of 23.) and I told him that I decided that I needed to get out of North Philly, so I was going to go into the Army, Greek laughed and said, “Yea okay.” I feel it was that moment that motivated me even more to leave.
Growing up in Philly I was always around the sport of boxing, it is a regular thing in Philly, I always messed around with it, but once I entered the military I began to take it serious. I went on to win multiple military boxing titles, become a member of the All Army team, was a member of the Ft. Bragg Boxing team, and I’ve been inducted into the Ft. Bragg Boxing Hall Of Fame. I went on to box professionally and won two Professional Regional Boxing Titles.
Once exiting the military, I moved back to Philadelphia; however, as I noticed the community was even worse than it was before I left, I decided to move back to North Carolina. I decided in order to put my self in a better position in life, it would be a good idea to go to college, I enrolled into college and obtained a Bachelors Of Social Work degree, I wanted to enter a field where I could help others.
Fast forward, I made the decision to get into mentoring, I was a mentor for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America program, as well as for the Boys and Girls Club.
Eventually I opened my own Boxing Academy, Ambition Boxing Academy, in 2007. Saturday trainings consisted of Social Skills and Life skills for the younger participants ages 8 – 12, and those who did not participate in the Saturday classes could not train that week, they had to be sure to participate in the classes in order to train, because these skills would take them further in life than boxing.
I still have my Boxing Academy, I invite students who need some positive activity to do, to participate, I provide quarterly scholarships which consist of, no fee to train, the individual just have to maintain passing grades in school, no getting in trouble in school, and they have to help keep the equipment in order.
I also have mentor program “A Better M.A.L.E. (Men Are Learned Early) I have book on it, same title, its on Amazon, for the students at the high school where I work as the School Social Worker, I also have an Chess club that I started for the students to participate during lunch. I’ve been able to use my abilities to become a professional speaker as well, I speak at education and community conferences on various topics. At-Risk students, fatherhood conferences, social work conferences, etc.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My road was not smooth; however, during the time of the rough road of obstacles, I just knew that I wanted more for myself, so I focused on that. Doing better than what was expected of me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a professional licensed high school School Social worker, this is my 22nd year working in Public School education. My specialty is working with the male population that is considered at-risk, struggling. I specialize in student drop out prevention. I’ve become known as the man who can get the young men to correct their path of self-destruction and get on the road to production. I’m most proud of how I serve our student population; however, I’m most PROUD of the Father I’ve become after not having a father in my life.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I’m in Fayetteville, I like the City, the military connection, the diversity, and the old look of downtown, I dislike the the crime that is happening.
