If selflessness and giving turn coaches into champions, Jonathon Stockton is in a league of his own.
The 37-year-old SUNY Morrisville student and youth coach found his calling — a cause larger than life — helping others.
“I live to enrich the lives of others because that nourishes my life,” Stockton said with a radiant smile.
It’s an impassioned career emboldened in his own experiences he openly shares about struggles with depression, addiction and homelessness — and unwavering support that helped him persevere.
“I was able to turn my life around thanks to help and people who believed in me,” Stockton said. “There was something missing in my life and I didn’t know what it was. I needed to find something to give back.”
He found it in SUNY Morrisville’s human services program. After four failed college attempts and 11 years later, Stockton went back to the college’s Norwich Campus, graduating with an associate degree in human services in 2024. He’s continuing his philanthropic journey, pursuing a Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in human services leadership at Morrisville.
His skills and knowledge are already opening doors. While searching for an internship, Stockton was offered a job at Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference (CHoWC), where he is a youth coach and the team lead for the Youth Empowerment and Support (YES) program in Chenango County.
“Jon was a great addition to our team,” said Terry Potter, county director for CHoWC. “He is an individual who puts all of his effort and heart into all that he does and this really comes through in his work. His life experiences and his knowledge and ability to connect with people and families and youth brings so much credibility to youth and families.”
“From my first client, I was hooked,” Stockton said of his gratifying work. “Even on the hard days working with clients, when I know progress has been made, it satisfies an intrinsic need I struggle to even put into words.”
But the actions and deeds of the Norwich, New York, resident flow with ease, speaking volumes of his heartfelt mission.
“My goal now is to help take the people who have been largely written off and help transform them into the assets of tomorrow, especially the kids.
“It’s all about paying it forward,” Stockton said. “I want to make a difference in Chenango County and Central New York.”
He already is.
Jonathon’s story
It’s Monday night and Stockton is winding down from a long day. In addition to working his full-time job at CHoWC, he took an online class toward his degree and worked on a podcast to empower youth.
Before the day ended, he took time out to sit on a park bench and talk to teenager Mason O’Neil. As the two engaged in a one-on-one game of basketball, their dynamic commanded the court.
“You got this” wasn’t just about the basket Stockton was encouraging O’Neil to make. It’s the mantra of his life — instilling hope and empowering others.
“He gets me. He just understands me,” said O’Neil, beaming as he dribbled the ball around the court.
O’Neil, a 16-year-old student at Norwich Central School, is one of the youths Stockton has empowered through his work at CHoWC.
In his role, Stockton helps youth find their way, empowering them and cultivating healthy relationships for positive futures. He helped O’Neil get on track to graduate and got him excited about school again.
There are countless others whose lives Stockton has touched, but he’s modest in saying so.
“I wanted to help the way I had been helped,” he said. “The community had given me a lot of chances, as well as teachers, a judge and counselors — people who helped me find my way. There was lots of compassion, lots of understanding and not a lot of judgment.”
Compassion came from many places, including a counselor, who later became his wife, and encouraged him to go back to college.
“Nicole is my constant companion, inspiration and main support,” Stockton said of his wife. “She has been the light of my life for more than six years. If I have been successful, it is because of her.”
The Norwich Campus also played a role in helping him thrive thanks to a flexible schedule that enabled the non-traditional student to juggle a job and family life. A strong sense of community, inherent in all aspects of the school, further ignited his motivation and growth.
He excelled academically, making the President’s List for three semesters, as well as the Dean’s List. He immersed himself in activities, including participating in the Norwich Campus Journal Author’s Celebration, where he was recognized for his article, “From Darkness to Dignity: A Profile of Preston Manor,” in the Chenango County Historical Society’s history journal. He continues to tutor at the college and for three school districts.
“The Norwich Campus has this great embracing of creativity,” Stockton said. “There is a genuine, heartfelt sense of community where ideas are encouraged.”
A source behind that sentiment is Julie Burton, associate professor of social science and coordinator of the human services program and the Human Services Institute, whose strong guidance and mentorship have manifested many graduates’ purpose.
“Dr. Burton has an aura of wisdom and experience that she exudes,” Stockton said. “The word inspirational just doesn’t do it justice.”
Burton has been instrumental in the human services program’s growth, developing a certificate program and forming the Human Services Institute, an ongoing partnership with the college’s human services program, faculty and staff, and human service professionals in Norwich and throughout Chenango and Madison counties.
She also developed the college’s first Bachelor of Professional Studies degree in human services leadership, which is offered online and in-person at the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. The bachelor’s degree program expands on the associate degree and prepares students for leadership positions in human services agencies, graduate work in social work, business administration, or to start their own nonprofit or social entrepreneurial enterprise. It helped elevate Stockton to his current supervisory position.
Additionally, Burton has written three microcredentials for the college as part of a large grant project between SUNY and the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), and through the Human Services Institute, formed a Leadership Academy offering training for new and aspiring nonprofit leaders in the community.
Her impact has spread to the community, where many of her graduates are making their mark.
“So many people who had Dr. Burton in their educational path — the face of what social work looks like in Chenango County is changing and Dr. Burton will be instrumental in that,” Stockton said. “She inspired these students who are making strides in the field because of what she instilled in them.
“My prediction is that five, 10 or 20 years from now, if there is one person who we look back and say they changed human services, in general, for Chenango County, it will be the influence of Dr. Burton,” he said.
As the demands for social workers increases, SUNY Morrisville is addressing critical community needs, producing graduates in the human services field prepared to address them.
“I believe the SUNY Morrisville human services degrees and certificate program have a responsibility to provide education and experiential learning opportunities so that our graduates can take a leadership role in providing services through counseling, advocacy, case management or creating new nonprofit agencies for the most vulnerable people in the community,” Burton said.
Internships play a vital role in students’ developing critical leadership and for Stockton — to pave new ground. During his internship with the Liberty Partnership Program, he helped devise a mentoring program between middle and high school students in the Norwich City School District.
A cause larger than life
The driving force behind Stockton’s career is using his own story as a tool. “It is integral to how I gain trust,” he said.
A tender-hearted nature and a voice filled with positive energy add to his allure.
“I don’t try to say I know what it is like, but I do have an idea,” Stockton said. “I know what it is like to grow up without a parent present, with having the lights shut off and to have no food in the house. And I know what it is like to be homeless and live in a car.”
He’s made a new life for himself and his 16-year-old daughter, Appollonia, never forgetting where he came from or who helped him along the way.
Making people believe in themselves, helping affirm value and giving them confidence and skills to flourish, is what it’s all about for Stockton today.
“Jonathon has broken new ground wherever he goes,” Burton said. “And now in his role at the Children’s Home and as a bachelor’s degree student, I know he will continue to make an enormous difference at the college and in the community."
