​Khalil Jamal Godfrey King was born in Buffalo, NY on March 5, 1991.

In 1999, Khalil and his mother relocated to Charlotte, NC where he attended Independence High School.  Although Khalil no longer lived in Buffalo, he maintained his ties to Upstate NY by spending many summers there with his grandmother.



Outside of school, Khalil was involved in various activities in Charlotte, such as the Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice and Obama's nationwide organization, Organizing America.  Khalil was also quite active within his high school, getting involved in many organizations, such as the Debate Team, Young Democrats, Chess Club, World Quest, Model United Nations and Break Dance Club.



In June 2009, Khalil graduated as one of the top fifteen students out of over 450 at Independence High School.  And, in the Fall 2009, Khalil enrolled at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY.  At Cornell, Khalil was a student in the College of Architecture, Art and Planning (AAP) and was an active member of the Minority Organization of Architecture, Art and Planning (MOAAP).

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During 2010, Khalil interned at the Langston Hughes Center, an organization that exposes inner city youth to art and culture, in Buffalo, NY.  He then spent the summer of 2010, his last summer, backpacking through Europe--traveling through England, Amsterdam, Germany, Spain, France and Czech Republic.

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In his 19 years, Khalil touched the lives of many through his genuine and vibrant personality, and his infectious smile.  The loss of Khalil has been difficult for his family and friends left behind, but his memory will always live on through them.