Making their mark on their own terms
As America marks its 250th anniversary this month, we’re celebrating the spirit of independence by spotlighting a new generation of ambitious locals who are making an impact in our community and beyond. They are the entrepreneurs launching businesses, the creatives redefining industries, the young professionals leading with confidence, and the rising voices bringing fresh ideas, energy, and innovation to everything they do.
This year’s “Young Independents” represent more than success at a young age. They embody determination, vision, and the drive to carve out their own paths while helping shape the future of our neighborhoods, businesses, and community. Passionate, hardworking, and unafraid to think differently, these up-and-comers are already leaving their mark and proving that leadership has no age minimum .
In a time when the nation is reflecting on independence, it felt only fitting to celebrate those carrying that same bold, independent spirit forward today. Meet the standout young leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are defining what’s next right here at home.
Reggie Agulto
When Reggie Agulto moved to Jacksonville with her family in the early 2000s, she began exploring all the city has to offer.
“I like to give my parents credit for helping me fall in love with Jacksonville,” she said. She enjoyed discovering parks, shops, and the unique identity of the area’s bustling communities and found that riding the bus to and from school helped her feel like a part of the community.
“One of my favorite memories is from when I was in college and working at Sweet Pete’s Candy downtown. Every Saturday morning when I stepped onto the bus for my shift, hearing the collective ‘good morning’ from familiar riders felt like such a small but meaningful joy,” she said.
Agulto spends her time giving back to the community that welcomed her when she moved here, lending her skills and efforts to nonprofit organizations focused on youth development and community building. Her passion for nonprofit work began in high school, when she organized a denim drive for Teens for Jeans, a nonprofit that supports youth experiencing homelessness.
“We were able to collect 2000 pairs of jeans among the Paxon School for Advanced Studies community. This was the moment that made me realize the true power of the people, of how getting organized and rallying for a cause can lead to so much more than I imagined,” she said. Recently, she’s stayed busy with The Bloom Lab, a nonprofit focused on middle and high school students interested in the arts, agriculture, and entrepreneurship.
In her spare time, she enjoys being outdoors and visiting parks like Tillie K. Fowler Regional Park, the Jacksonville Arboretum, and Boone Park. One of her favorite dining spots she loves to visit with her husband is Curry Guys in Five Points on Lomax Street and Cicada Coffee located in the Cultivate Jax shop.
“One of my favorite things about living in the Riverside area is its walkability and proximity to so many local businesses,” she said.
K’cee Allen
When K’cee Allen moved to the Jacksonville area a little more than a decade ago, coworkers quickly became friends, and they helped her explore everything communities like Riverside and San Marco have to offer.
“Since then, I have fallen in love with so much more,” she said. She loves how much the arts and culture are supported in the area, from writers and artists to bakers and restaurant owners. “I’m a huge fan of the Riverside Arts Market,” she said.
A shutterbug at heart, she loves spending time in nature and taking photographs of her favorite natural spaces. And though she hasn’t had much time for it recently, the area’s generous green spaces have helped her rediscover her love of photography.
“Jacksonville offers a plethora of parks and nature walks that allow me to dabble in it again.” One of her favorite spots is the scenic butterfly garden in San Marco’s Landon Park.
A devoted bookworm, when she isn’t visiting one of the area’s parks, she’s busy getting lost in a science fiction or fantasy novel.
“I am an avid reader,” she said. Hockey is another passion of hers, and she takes in an Icemen game when her schedule permits. Allen also explores the city’s culinary scene when she has time.
“I absolutely love San Marco,” she said. “It has great bars and restaurants.”
Organizations focusing on women’s health are important to Allen, and she enjoys supporting longtime nonprofit Planned Parenthood. Her work as an interventional radiology technologist means she helps people every day while using cutting-edge technology.
“I assist radiologists in using imaging technology to perform minimally invasive procedures inside the body and brain,” she said.
Her desire to work in the medical field stems from a personal connection.
“I originally wanted to work in healthcare because of my mother. She battled cancer when I was a teenager, and I wanted to help patients and families the way her care teams helped her,” she said.
Ebonee Gatlin
Even as a young child, Ebonee Gatlin knew she wanted to spend her time changing people’s lives for the better when she grew up.
“Whenever people would ask me what I want to do, what I want to be, I would always say, ‘I don’t really know, but I want to help people,’” she said.
She turned her love of the written word into a career focused on grant writing, which keeps her busy as the National Corporate and Foundation Relations Officer for Reach Out and Read. The nonprofit promotes literacy for children and partners with doctors and health care professionals, helping to provide books for kids and support for caregivers. As a writer, she uses her storytelling gift to help people understand the importance of causes such as child literacy.
“I think it’s really cool to take a cause that you’re working for, something that you’re very passionate about, and then craft it into a story and then see other people fall in love with the same thing.”
When she isn’t working, she spends time helping the Junior League of Jacksonville serve the community through various programs, especially food advocacy efforts. She also volunteers with organizations that support people experiencing homelessness, including Hubbard House and Sulzbacher Center. Gatlin also serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals as the Foundation Development Chair.
In her free time, she said she loves doing “anything creative,” including visiting Jacksonville’s Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens. She also likes to read and is part of a book club currently tackling thrillers. When she’s in search of a new read, she peruses the towering stacks at Chamblin Bookmine.
As a teenager, she lived in Jacksonville for a few years before going to college and heading Northeast to spend time in New Jersey and work in Manhattan. But she recently moved back to Jacksonville, to an area bordering Avondale and Riverside, while reacquainting herself with a city that has grown significantly since she first lived here.
“I feel like Jacksonville is in such a place of growth where a lot of things are coming into the city,” she said. “It’s a great area.”
Jac Shacter
Growing up in Jacksonville, Jac Shacter couldn’t wait to leave the area and settle down in another city. But as an adult, and an active member of the close-knit Historic Springfield community, he’s found home.
“I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” he said.
He spends his days working with TerraWise Homes, a builder specializing in energy-efficient and custom homes, a career path he’s worn many hats for. He started out as an office assistant and worked his way up to sales engineer, eventually becoming director of sales and marketing. Now, he’s the vice president of operations.
“[I] ended up falling in love with it,” he said as he spoke about his ascension through the company.
On any given day, he could be going over spreadsheets at his desk or out in the field, conducting home walkthroughs and meeting with clients.
“I love that my day is varied, and I never know what it will bring,” he said.
Shacter is an ardent supporter of the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization organization (SPAR). He and TerraWise Homes enjoy partnering with SPAR to “give back as much as we can to the community that supports us,” he said.
Shacter is a self-described introvert and homebody. He’s also a family man with four children and what he described as “a whole zoo” of animals, including two dogs, a cat, fish, rabbits, and chickens. He has regular spots he loves to visit for a meal and a coffee, including Artessence Coffee Shop on North Main Street.
“They keep me fueled and caffeinated so I can stay on top of everything,” he said.
Shacter believes what truly makes his neighborhood community so special is the people. “Springfield is truly a community, sort of small-town vibes,” he said. “In a time where folks increasingly don’t even know their neighbors’ names, it’s nice to know the people around you, and that you can borrow some sugar or a potato if you’re short.”
Brit Robinson
Brit Robinson first moved to Jacksonville with her husband when he was stationed here for flight school. Part of a military family herself, she’s accustomed to moving to different parts of the country for short periods, but when it came time to choose where they wanted to settle down, she chose to return to Jacksonville.
“The diversity of the people and potential of this city keep calling me back, which is why I’m very happy to call Jacksonville my chosen home.”
By trade, she is an interior designer and seamstress. Recently, she’s become active in the community, running for Congress in Florida’s Fourth Congressional District. Her desire to help her community through civic duty stems in part from the adversity her family faced during her high school days.
“When I was entering high school, my mom became seriously ill and couldn’t afford health insurance. Our family had to rely on food assistance, we were evicted, and I ended up moving across the country to stay with family and friends just so I could finish school,” she said.
Her family’s experience stayed with Robinson into adulthood, instilling a passion for helping others in times of need.
“That experience is what drives my work today. I believe in building a community where people are supported before they reach a crisis point, and where systems are designed to lift people up, rather than leave them behind,” she said.
She loves living in the Springfield area with easy access to some of her favorite local spots, including 1748 Bakehouse and Juice Wine Bar.
“You’re never short on things to do, and it’s so easy to walk from place to place,” she said. Military life can make it hard to find people to connect with, but Robinson has found community in Jacksonville.
“It’s often challenging as a military family to connect with others because people are always coming or going … so it’s been a great change to find people who support each other and love this city and its people enough to try to make a positive impact,” she said.
Jessie Drew Hawkins
Jessie Drew Hawkins is a true-blue Jacksonville native.
“My roots here run deep,” she said.
Her family lineage in Jacksonville goes back several generations and can be traced back to the H & W.B. Drew Company on Bay Street, a paper goods store started in the early 1800s by one of her relatives.
“Being from Jacksonville has always been a big part of my identity and something my family takes a lot of pride in,” she said.
Hawkins is the owner of Gwei Media, a social media marketing and strategy company.
“What I love most is being able to take something off our clients’ plates and help them show up consistently and creatively online. We get to blend creativity with analytics, which is such a unique balance,” she said.
She’s also passionate about supporting Jacksonville’s expansive community. Hawkins has a deeply personal connection to the organization Angels for Allison, which provides support to families who have lost a child. The nonprofit is named after Allison Brundick Haramis, who was Hawkins’ cousin and best friend.
“Being part of continuing her legacy means everything to me,” she said. Hawkins is also involved with The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, which provides life-saving care to infants and children. Hawkins’ work with the two organizations goes hand in hand.
“One supports families in loss, and the other supports children in healing,” she said.
In her free time, Hawkins enjoys visiting the beach, checking out her favorite Asian-inspired restaurants, and attending church. She lived in Hong Kong for a decade, but when she moved back to Jacksonville, she knew it was meant to be.
“Coming back has been incredibly special. It’s a place that feels like home in every sense, and I’m so grateful to be part of a city that my family has been connected to for so long,” Hawkins said.
Joey Jenkins
Originally from Tennessee, it took some time for Joey Jenkins to settle into the Floridian lifestyle after moving to Jacksonville. But he found kindred spirits in the city’s lively music scene. A solar energy technician by day for solar installation and maintenance projects, his trade gives him plenty of time to pursue his passion, music.
Between practice, studio time, and touring, he stays busy. He spends nights playing bass in the punk rock music scene, and likes being a devoted spectator as well.
“I enjoy the local emo [and] punk shows that take place around the city,” he said.
Jacksonville boasts several popular live music venues featuring up-and-coming bands. Just a few of Jenkins’ recommendations for checking out local talent include Island Tropics Restaurant on N. Main Street, Hard Love Co. on Post Street, and The Albatross on East Bay Street.
He also enjoys supporting Jacksonville-based causes focused on inclusivity and marginalized communities, including the Jacksonville Palestine Solidarity Network, the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, and Food Not Bombs, a vegan-based food-sharing organization that provides food and supplies to locals in need.
“I’m very passionate about activism in our community,” he said.
When Jenkins isn’t practicing or playing a show, he can be found at one of his favorite Park Street establishments, Hawkers, a staple in the Five Points area of Riverside, specializing in gourmet Asian street food.
Olivia T. Smith
Olivia T. Smith is proud to call herself a “Jaxon,” a lifelong resident of Jacksonville. She’s called the city home since she was a baby, and her love for it has only grown.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve continued to fall more and more in love with this city and the people who live here,” she said.
Smith serves as a senior director of development for the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, where she nurtures donor relationships, leads fundraising initiatives, and collaborates with staff and volunteers to advance community-wide objectives.
“I have the really beautiful opportunity to do what I love every day–connecting people and their passions to programs that bring their passions to life,” she said.
Helping people has always been a passion for Smith. She spent a lot of time at the Jewish Community Alliance as a teenager while her mother worked to provide for her and her brother. At 14 years old, she began working at JCA as a swim instructor and swim team coach and provided administrative support when needed. She also worked as a camp counselor. As an adult, she wanted to work with organizations like JCA that offer a safe space for young people and their families.
“My passion is people – lifting them, connecting them, and helping them thrive,” she said.
Over the years, the former Junior League of Jacksonville member has had the opportunity to help found and serve on the Pace Center for Girls Jacksonville Young Professionals Board. She currently serves as the secretary of the board of directors for Haven Retreats, Inc., a nonprofit organization that fosters sustainability in foster care, and is near and dear to Smith’s heart as a former foster parent and adoptive mom.
Smith calls the Lakewood area home and loves how close she is with her neighborhood community.
“The people, especially the ladies, who live in my neighborhood are genuinely so amazing,” Smith said. “We have a group chat of all the ladies in the neighborhood, and everyone just shows up for one another as neighbors.”
Kalani Rose
Kalani Rose is a San Diego native who experienced some culture shock after moving from California to Florida. But she soon fell in love with all Jacksonville has to offer, and she’s built a full life in the Bold City.
“I started my musical career here, met the love of my life, and started our little family,” she said.
As a singer-songwriter, she loves putting smiles on other people’s faces through music.
“[One of] my absolute favorite parts of performing is getting to bring joy to others. Connecting with strangers over music is something so healing. Music is like therapy to me,” she said.
Rose was inspired as a young girl by singer-songwriter and pianist Norah Jones. She would often fall asleep at night listening to Jones’ critically acclaimed album, “Come Away with Me,” and reading song lyrics.
“I’ve had a love for music since a young age,” she said.
Over the years, music has allowed her to support organizations championing causes near and dear to her heart.
“I love supporting any organization that protects women,” she said.
She also supports organizations that help the disabled community, a passion she’s pursued since high school and loves sharing her other passion – music – with other people.
When Rose and her family take a short break from travel and performances, they love visiting Jacksonville’s parks to unwind.
“I love all the new parks that have been built in Downtown Jax,” she said. “My family loves that it’s become such a safe and vibrant place to bring your family.”
When she needs some girl time, Rose and her friends visit Biscottis in Avondale.
When Rose hits the road for a show with her band, they perform as Kalani Rose and the Vibe and incorporate grooving originals like “Protect Your Peace” into performances.
As a business owner, she runs her own production company, K.Rose Productions, focusing on special events, luaus, and weddings. She has a passion for Polynesian dance, which she discovered as a young girl and for which she said she has a deep respect.
Ben Siebold
After moving to Florida from the Washington, D.C. area, Ben Siebold became a business owner. He oversees Sergeant Seamless, formerly known as AA Gutters.
While getting to know the area, he came to appreciate the city’s entrepreneurial spirit, its welcoming attitude toward military families, and its beautiful weather.
“I love all that the Jacksonville area has to offer,” he said.
His business approach at Sergeant Seamless is influenced by his own background in the military.
“The Army background shapes how we run things day-to-day. I served as a Staff Sergeant in the 29th Infantry,” Siebold explained.
Contributing to the economy, both directly and locally, is important to Siebold. He said he wanted to produce something that consumers need and focus on hiring local workers. From weather to equipment maintenance and scheduling, he enjoys the fact that his business always keeps him on his toes.
“My favorite part of running my own business is that every day is different,” he said.
Coffee shops provide the perfect atmosphere for getting administrative work done on the fly, and he frequents both Southern Grounds in Avondale and Flamingo Coffee in Murray Hill.
Siebold leads an active lifestyle and supports JAX Fray, an organization connecting people who want to join recreational sports leagues, meet up for pickup games, and check out events around the area. He’s also lent his skills as a craftsman to places that need help in Jacksonville, particularly at churches in the city’s Northside area.
The business owner decompresses from work by stepping outside to appreciate nature. He loves the community and natural flair of the Avondale and Riverside areas.
“The historic homes and the older trees that have large trunks and stretch across an area are just so beautiful to me and speak to longevity,” he said.
