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Jonathan Earl Conyers (born October 23, 1994), also known as Jon Conyers is an American entrepreneur, author, respiratory therapist, debate coach and a real estate agent. He is the co-founder of the Brooklyn Debate League, the founder of Conyers Media and Conyers Real Estate. He also works as a respiratory therapist, specializing in neonates and pediatrics at New York University Langone Hospital and was a champion for our nation through the COVID-19 crisis. Jonathan Conyers is the author of the high acclaimed memoir I Wasn’t Supposed to Be Here (Legacy Lit, imprint of Hachette) (Pub Date: September 5, 2023).

Jonathan Conyers ￼         Conyers in 2021

Born: Jonathan Earl Conyers October 23, 1994 (age 28) Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S. Other Names: Jon Conyers Education: Stony Brook University (BS) Occupations: Respiratory Therapy Debate Coach Author Real Estate Agent Entrepreneur

Title: Debate Coach at Brooklyn Debate League Respiratory Therapist at NYU Langone Medical Center Board Member of: Brooklyn Debate League (MS)^2 Alumni Association at Phillips Academy Andover Spouse: Nicolette Conyers (m. 2017) Children: 2 daughters and 1 son Jonathan Conyers’ voice: WE HAVE TO RECORD Website (www.jonathanconyers.com) Signature: WE HAVE TO DO

Conyers was born in Chesapeake, Virginia but was primarily raised in the Bronx, New York. He graduated from Stony Brook University, a state school in New York as an Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) student in 2017. During his time on campus he left a huge impact on the university. He was know as “Mr. Far Beyond” when he attended and his faced towered over the campus famous Frank Melville Jr. Memorial Library, the campus buses and in Stony Brook Hospital for years. He left an impact at the school and was a model student.

In 2017, Conyers and his former high school teacher and debate coach founded the Brooklyn Debate League (BDL). The BDL is a non-profit whose mission is to bring speech and debate to at-risk communities. In 2022, Jonathan was featured in a 12-post story on Humans of New York, which is a famous social media platform founded and ran by Brandon Stanton. His story lead to over a million likes throughout numerous social media platforms and over 30,000 people donated to the BDL generating approximately 1.3 million dollars. This viral moment led to Conyers being featured in the Washington Post, The Kelly Clarkson Show, NBC news and more.

￼ Conyers on the Kelly Clarkson show in 2022.

Conyers sits on the Board of The Brooklyn Debate League and the (MS)^2 Alumni Association which is a program he graduated from in 2012 at Phillips Academy Andover. (MS)^2 is an educational outreach program that advances diversity in the STEM fields by developing the competencies and self-confidence of outstanding high school students of color. The three-summer, residential program challenges students intellectually and exposes them to peers and educators with diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and aspirations.

Conyers is also the founder of Conyers Media (DBA: Jon Conyers Network) which he established in 2021 to create a space for people to be vulnerable and create all different types of content. He also the host and creator of The Professional Winner Podcast. Conyers founded Conyers Real Estate in 2020 and own properties primarily on the East Coast and in the Virgin Islands.

Section: Early life and education Conyers was born in Chesapeake, Virginia, early in the morning on a Sunday on October 23, 1994. His father, James Conyers Sr. was in out of jobs throughout his life due to battling addiction but primarily worked construction and maintenance jobs. Conyers mother, Virginia Kim Conyers was a home health aid briefly and remained a stay at home mom throughout his life. She also face addiction and mental health issues throughout Conyers life.

As a child Conyers failed Kindergarten and the school administration in Virginia pushed his mom to give him extra help and place him in special education classes. His mother refused and worked with him intensely to get him on track with his studies. In his memoir I Wasn’t Supposed To Be Here Conyers states, “…. Eventually Conyers would catch up to speed and was able to stay in general classes.

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Conyers in reading recovery in first grade.

When Conyers was nine years old his mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. This plus being homeless forced Conyers and his family to move back to the Bronx, New York. When Conyers was back to the Bronx he was homeless the majority of time and lived part time with his parents and his grandmother. He attended I.S. 219 in the South Bronx when he first arrived to New York City. According to U.S. News & World Report at I.S. 219 only 7% of students are at least proficient in math and 12% in reading. This shows you the type of education he was receiving and the type of disadvantages Conyers faced in his upbringing.

After missing the cut off score by 1 point to attend the esteemed specialized high school Stuyvesant in Manhattan, Conyers went on to attend Frederick Douglass Academy High School (FDA) with legendary principal Dr. Hodge in Harlem, New York. It was at FDA where Conyers found speech and debate and learned from legendary debate coach DiCo. In Conyers memoir he discusses how much a pivotal role DiCo played in his village. At FDA Conyers participated in Lincoln-Douglass style debates. He competed at numerous prestigious tournaments/universities like Harvard, Yale, Columbia and the list goes on. ￼ Conyers with his debate team at Frederick Douglass Academy in 2009.

Even though Conyers was an excellent student he faced many trails and tribulations throughout his high school career. During his high school journey he ended up being adopted by his brother who was in the military in Virginia. He ended up moving back for half the year and attending Western Branch High School in Chesapeake, Virginia. He played varsity football for one year and then returned back to FDA in Harlem. Conyers brothers wasn’t happy that he decided to move back to New York City where he always seemed to find trouble especially in the summer.

Conyers credits (MS)2 at Phillips Academy Andover for being pivotal and his development for the three years he attended their elite summer program. Getting away from the Bronx and being introduced to a new world where he can expand his horizon at an elite boarding school saved him.

Even with debate and elite summer programs it could not help the fact that Conyers home life was chaotic. Conyers had to grow up fast and fend for himself early on in his life. Due to this freedom he had Conyers ended maturing beyond his years and having numerous life experiences faster then a typical teenage child. One of the things Conyers experience fast was fatherhood. During his senior year of high school Conyers daughter Emily was born on February 2, 2013. Despite how difficult it was Conyers was still determined to go to college.

Conyers would end up going to Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. During his time he was a model student who did extraordinary things in and out of the classroom. He majored in Respiratory Therapy and minored in writing at the University. Conyers did research in the Biophysics & Physiology department under Dr. Irene Solomon where in 2015 he presented at the international experimental biology conference in Boston he presented his research on Intratracheal Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Administration Attenuates Acute Hypoxic Ventilatory Response (HVR) in Spontaneously Breathing Adult C57BL/6 Male Mice. His work was published in the Experimental Biology 2015 catalog.

Besides just his research Conyers was apart of Student Helping Honduras Stony Brook University chapter which is a non profit organization founded by Shin Fujiyama. He was the recruitment chair for his University chapter and help raise over 30,000 dollars to help build the Villa Soleada Bilingual School. In the winter of 2015 he traveled there to also physically help with the building of the new school.

While on campus he also became a Residential Assistant (RA) for the graduate apartment known as Chapin Apartments. He created Chapin Adventures while he was there which served as a weekend long event where he gave international students resources and tips on how to adjust to campus life in the states. He took them supermarket shopping, to the mall and help them transition to life on campus. He would end up winning an award for this. He was also a tutor for numerous subjects for the EOP program while he attending the school.

During his time at Stony Brook University due to all of Conyers achievement he was named the face of the Universities Far Beyond Campaign which was created under Stony Brooks fifth president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. The Far Beyond campaign was created to supported the University's ethos of excellence — to go far beyond what anyone expects of a public education. It was also created to provided funding and resources to the University. ￼ Conyers image towering over Stony Brook University Melville Library in 2016.

During 2013-2017 when Conyers attended the University he won numerous awards multiple times such as:


 * The Office of Opportunity of the State University of New York Academic Achievement Award.


 * The Achievement of Individual Merit Award


 * Undergraduate Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Leadership


 * Undergraduate Recognition Award for Outstanding Achievement in Community Service


 * SUNY Academic Achievement Award


 * Apartment Resident Assistant Program of the Year Award

He was also the recipient of the James Nobel Memorial Scholarship and was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society and the Chi Alpha Epsilon Honor Society.

On an Episode of Guy Kawasaki podcast Remarkable People Conyers also credits his parents for being pivotal in his education. He stated, “… Even with other issues his parents faced he still thanks them for making education critical in their household.

￼ Conyers parents on their wedding day on February 14, 1988.

A couple of months before Conyers graduated he ended up accepted a job to work for NYU Langone Medical Center where he still currently works.

Section: Career Conyers first day at NYU Langone Medical Center was on September 11, 2017. Early on he realized he loved working with neonates and pediatrics. He immediately begin working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

Through 2017-2018 numerous kids was suffering from multiple respiratory viruses and no one seemed to have the answer to. Fortunately, the Director of the Cardiopulmonary Department Terence Comiskey seen something in Conyers and introduced him to The Volumetric Diffusive Respirator unit (VDR®-4) which is a ventilator created by inventor Forrest Bird. After spending some time learning the machine Conyers would end up saving 15 critical ill patients in a row using it.

While working with those patients Dr. Andy Wen who was an attending at NYU Langone Medical Center at the time recommended to Conyers that they should work on a research paper about the amazing work he was doing. Conyers accepted the challenge and they wrote the research article the Use of High Frequency Percussive Ventilation in a Pediatric Patient with Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage. Their paper was accepted and Conyers was able to present their finding at the 9th Congress of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive & Critical Care Societies in Singapore.

￼ Conyers presenting his finding in Singapore in June of 2018.

￼ Conyers poster presentation that he presented at the 9th Congress of the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive & Critical Care Societies in Singapore.

Conyers discussed his experience doing research in his 2023 Commencement address at Stony Brook University in his speech titled, “Lessons From Mrs. Brown”. Conyers is no longer during research but talks about missing it often.

￼ Conyers giving his Commencement address to the Stony Brook University class of 2023.

In 2020, our nation was hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis. As a respiratory therapist Conyers was on the frontlines. On numerous platforms and on his podcast The Professional Winner Podcast he discusses working 7 days a week doing 13 hour shifts. He talked about how it took a toll on his mental health but he knew he has a duty to complete and he had to be accessible for his country even at the expense of himself. In his address at Stony Brook 2023 Commencement Conyers talks about weighting over 400 pounds during his medical career and being “a walking contradiction to what the hospital preaches” as far as health and wellness. He has now lost over 150 pounds and mention in his speech that everyone even healthcare providers should take care of themselves before anyone.

In 2017 Conyers co-founded the Brooklyn Debate League with his old high school debate coach DiCo. Due to Conyers medical career he was not involved with the day to day of the organization. Instead he poured his resources and serve as one of the primary donors to the organization. However, in 2022 DiCo decided that the organization may need to be shut down due to the lack of funding the company was receiving.

Fortunately, Conyers friend Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York decided that he would like to do a story on Conyers. Conyers shared with Brandon the impact DiCo had on him and Brandon decided that the story should be centered around their amazing relationship. On May 9, 2022 Humans of New York shared their story and over 1 million people like the post through multiple social media channels. Over 30k people donated to the Brooklyn Debate League accumulating over 1.3 million in funding to help their mission.

Since then the Brooklyn Debate League has been in full effect. DiCo has taken the role of Executive Director and Conyers joined the board and had became a coach part time only for the organization due to numerous other commitments. He is also the head of the fundraising committee for the BDL. I’m 2022 the BDL has been filming a documentary with Vice News following two of their partner schools Achievement First Brooklyn High School (AFBHS) and Unity Prep Charter High School where Conyers is the debate coach at. ￼ Conyers filming with Vice News as he teaches a class with partner school Unity Prep.

In Conyers first year as a debate coach he had 12 of his students qualify and compete at the speech and debate New York State Championship at Bronx Science High School and 4 of his student qualify and compete at the speech and debate National Championships in Louisville, Kentucky.

On a episode of Malcom Gladwell podcast Revisionist History where he goes to debate school he credits the Brooklyn Debate League as experts and spent time with them learning debate after his defeat at the Munk Debates against Douglas Murray and Matt Taibbi

￼ Malcom Gladwell and the Brooklyn Debate League team after their conversation on Revisionist History.

After a little glimpse of Conyers story was admired by over a million people one of his mentors Lori Tharps thought that his entire story could change the lives of so many people. She introduced him to Johanna Castillo who is an literary agent at Writers House. Instantly they hit it off and Conyers signed a deal making Johanna Castillo his literary agent. Soon after signing Conyers agreed to a book deal with Krishan Trotman and Legacy Literature which is an imprint at Hachette.

His debut memoir I Wasn’t Supposed To Be Here will be in stores everywhere books is sold on September 5th, 2023. When Conyers was featured on Guy Kawasaki podcast he labeled Conyers as the number one expert in understanding how to find a village which is the major theme of Conyers book. Yes Conyers story is remarkable and he survived some impossible challenges but one of the most critical lessons in his memoir is that people from all different walks of life can be beneficial to your journey of survival and success.

Conyers has also already agreed to his second book deal with Harper Collins called Dreaming In The Dark which is a graphic novel that discusses Conyers life specifically in high school. It is set to release in 2025. He has aspirations to write many books and articles throughout his writing career.

In 2020 Conyers created Conyers Real Estate. Due to numerous commitments Conyers wife Nicolette manages the day of the company. They currently own properties in Virginia and Virgin Islands that they rent out. Conyers and his wife are both New York State licensed real estate agents.

In 2020 Conyers created Conyers Production Company. In 2021 he changed the company name to Conyers Media and filed a doing business as (DBA) Jon Conyers Network which is the name of his YouTube Channel. He created The Professional Podcast which is a show was created by Jonathan Conyers to motivate and uplift people. It was also created to give a voice to the unheard and to provide a safe space for all people. Conyers had plans to create numerous shows and his main goal is to be a media personnel.

Section: Personal life Conyers is married to his high school sweetheart Nicolette. In 2017, a couple of months after he graduated from Stony Brook University they got married on August 9th. In his memoir I Wasn’t Supposed To Be Here he discusses a lot of the hardship they face such as being teenage parents. Their oldest daughter Emily was born their senior year of high school and they face many challenges early on due to having such a huge responsibility. Conyers also credits Nicolette with being apart of his village and helping him grow and get through some of the toughest times in his life.

Nicolette is a licensed medical biller and coder and a licensed real estate agent. They now have three kids Emily, Sophia and Jonathan Jr. Conyers currently lives in New York City with his wife and three children.

Conyers is a huge sports fan and is a die hard NY Knicks, NY Giants and NY Yankees fan. He loves traveling and learning about other cultures and uses a-lot of his free time writing about all different types of topics.

Section: Publications I Wasn’t Supposed To Be Here — ISBN 9781538742501