Jose Villegas III was born and
raised in New Orleans, Louisiana in humble beginnings. He's the
son of a native Puerto Rican who abandoned the family while he
was still a baby.
He grew up on welfare but found he wasn't faring
well. As a result of childhood teasing and name calling,
Jose decided to drop out of school in the 8 th grade. At
the age of 17, he decided to join the U.S. Army on the “buddy
plan.” The “buddy” changed his plans, so Jose
decided to go ahead anyway as he had planned. It was a
means of escape from his environment where failure was the norm.
He devoted six years of his life in service to his country.
After being honorably discharged from the Army,
Jose returned home hoping for a fresh start. He found
nothing at home had changed. Jose then packed his bags
and headed east to Washington, DC with only a one-way ticket
and $98.00 to his name. He roomed with an old Army friend,
landed a well paying job and felt he was on his way.
Then, one day, Jose was introduced to crack
cocaine and the gates of hell swung wide open. He became
helpless, hopeless and homeless. Where once he commanded
an income of almost $1,000.00 a week, he found himself reduced
to begging for change. He knows what it feels like to
lose everything but of all the things he lost, he missed his
mind the most, he lost his sanity.
As of the writing of this bio, Jose has been
sober and clean from drugs and alcohol for over 12 years. He
returned to school to better himself and has written a powerful
book called; Emotional Prisoner: Trapped Behind the Bars of My
Thoughts. Jose discovered that it was his negative emotions
that were driving his life. According to Jose, “ When
we allow negative emotions to run our lives, they turn our minds
into jail cells where our spirits serve time.” Today,
Jose is an enthusiastic and inspirational speaker who carries
a message of honesty to a world choking on lies. |
