BLOG POSTS
SEPTEMBER 2024: EDI
I grew up with three brothers. My parents were there for us as much as they could be, but they also worked a lot to make sure we had everything we needed. We lived in Tijuana, so we had to cross the border early every morning to go to school. After school, we’d stay with family members close by. But we felt unwelcome. They didn’t want us around even though they were family and we were just kids waiting to go home to mom and dad. Instead of being with family after school, I started to hang out with friends. I felt they cared for me more than my family did. Some of my friends were already in gangs, so I followed in their footsteps. I would think, “my friend has this, and he has that – I want the same. My parents can’t give to me? Well, I can find a different way to get it.” This is how my life in gangs and drugs got started.
A month after I was sentenced to nine years in prison, my twin brother passed away. Everything changed for me after that. It made me think, “What am I doing with my life?” I had my family to think about, who were already going through so much; They were helping me when I felt that I should be helping them. I especially had to think about the baby daughter that my twin left behind without knowing, and my own son who I wanted to be proud of me. I thought of how out of something negative, there can be something positive. I started using my time to work on myself, learn, and see the things I did wrong and do them differently.
I got out in November 2023, a few months earlier than I was supposed to. I surprised my whole family and only told my mom the day before I got out. I was able to be home for the holidays and have my first Christmas in nine years. I was able to find a couple jobs after coming home, but I wanted to find a career. My parole officer told me about Rise Up, and then I met someone at my sober living home’s Super Bowl party who connected me with Mike Lucero at Rise Up. At first, I didn’t know anything about CNC, but I’ve learned so much since working here. Being with Rise Up has felt like being with another family. Everyone here stops what they’re doing to help each other.
Being here has changed my life. I’m going to keep working hard so my son can look up at a plane one day and say, “My dad helped make that.” If I can do it, then I’m pretty sure anybody else can; you just have to put your mind to it and be hungry for it.
May 2024: Loren
Growing up, I didn’t have consistent friends or family around me because I came from a military family, so moving from place to place was the only consistency I had. I found a new family in drugs and gang life when I was about 16 or 17. I’ve been in and out of incarceration from the ages of 18-35 and always ended up going back. Whenever I got out, I would sell drugs, live in hotels and transitional housing, and eventually end up getting arrested again. Back in 2018, I got sober and started my own automotive business building high-end cars, but I relapsed after a few years. I was upset that I kept going back to drugs even when I didn’t want to, but my addiction had a hold on me that wouldn’t let me go.
Things started looking up when I realized life is so much better and easier when you’re clean. I’ve been out of jail and sober since June 2023. I joined Rise Up Industries because I could get support while learning more about what I was already interested in. I’m taking advantage of all I can while I’m here, and I’ve really appreciated everyone I’ve met and everything I’ve learned.
I love what I’m learning in the classroom and being able to immediately apply it on the shop floor. I’m learning CAD/CAM programming to design parts the right way. I’ve already built a set of Harley handlebars, and a few parts for my car. It’s all going to help me reach my goal of designing automotive parts.
Aside from the job training, Wendy, Rise Up’s case manager, has been a huge support in helping me overcome barriers in other parts of my life so that I can focus in the shop. She’s helped me access gas cards, which has been so helpful because I live about 30 minutes from the shop. She’s also helped me access funding for additional shop tooling and work clothes and get significant legal fees canceled.
When you’re struggling with addiction, you really need to hit rock bottom on your own, then decide for yourself that you want to make a change. I am doing exactly that.
APRIL 2024: ADRIAN
I grew up in Mexico with my parents still together. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized my parents had a problem with drinking and drug abuse. As I got older, I started making bad decisions. A lot of it had to do with who I was spending time around. Specific friends and family members. I got into alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of the things I had been through. The times where I most avoided going home was when I was using alcohol or drugs, and ended up sleeping on the streets. I’ve always had somewhere to go, but there have been times in my life where I chose to be on the streets.
When I was arrested in October 2022, I spent time in prison thinking about how I was stuck in this broken cycle. I would start to do well, and get on the straight and narrow and then fall off again. I wasn’t able to stick to being sober and clean on my own. I really considered how much I was letting everyone down. It was a very hard realization.
Being on the street is tough. A lot of crazy things are happening out there. Sometimes there are people who genuinely want to help you, but it can be really hard to discern who to trust and who wants to hurt you.
I heard about Rise Up Industries through the transitional living home I stayed in. When I heard about the schooling involved, I wasn’t too sure. But now I know that I am very blessed to be here. I look forward to coming to work everyday. I love that the work is so hands on. And I love the on-the-job training and being able to make parts for customers. I am grateful to be a part of Rise Up Industries, and I look forward to seeing where a career in CNC machining can take me.
March 2024: MIKE
I grew up in Southeast San Diego. I was taken care of – we had a safe home, food to eat, enough clothes. My sisters and I were raised by our grandparents. I first got involved with gangs when I was 13 years old – it was shortly after my grandfather passed away. We were the only guys in the family, so maybe I was looking for that connection. One thing led to the next, and I was incarcerated at 17 years old.
My first experience of housing insecurity came 15 years later right after being released. I joined a transitional living facility. The hardest part about the living situation was the restrictions – for the first few weeks I wasn’t able to have a cell phone, all visitors were restricted except for family, and I had to get approval for leaving the home. I was finally in the free world – I didn’t want restrictions. I was encouraged to give myself space to unwind after being locked up. In some ways, it was nice because I didn’t need to worry about paying for housing for six months. This relieved the pressure of needing to find a job right away and gave me time to focus on myself. I needed time to secure basic documents like a birth certificate, social security card, and driver’s license. I didn’t have any of those.
Growing up, I rejected any new experience because I didn’t feel comfortable. This was the easy thing to do, and the thing I was familiar with. As my release date got closer, I made a commitment to myself to embrace new opportunities that came my way, even if they made me feel uncomfortable. Ultimately, that’s why I joined Rise Up Industries.
My parole officer introduced me to Rise Up, and I’ve been here now for five months. I’m so grateful for this supportive environment I’ve found. Wendy, our case manager, has this motherly aura about her. She’s been an amazing support. Darren, the shop supervisor, is on the floor with me in the machine shop, helping me learn the skills. I look up to Mike a lot because he also went through the program and is now on Rise Up’s permanent staff. Like Mike, I’m studying Sociology at SDSU in the evenings and want to invest back into my community’s kids. And finally, Janet, our therapist. Therapy was frowned upon in my community growing up, so this is my first experience with it. It’s great to have the opportunity to connect with Janet weekly and have that support.
FEBRUARY 2024: Colin
My parents instilled strong morals and values in me at a young age. Growing up in Point Loma, I was the “popular” surfer guy, very athletic. Everything was smooth sailing until I got into a serious bike accident at 16 years old. The severity of the accident led to me being in a coma for two weeks.
This accident was a pivotal point in my life. Upon waking from the coma, I had serious brain damage, I lost all of my muscle mass and weighed 113 pounds. I completely lost any sense of who I was. The doctor said that I could have a seizure and die at any moment. This triggered my new life motto of living for the moment regardless of the consequences. As I started to make poor choices, I began to attract negative influences. Eventually, this led to my incarceration.
Going to jail was one of the best things that could’ve happened to me. This was another pivotal moment in my life. I realized while in prison that I had enough of doing the things I was doing. I got sober while incarcerated. I decided that moving forward, I wanted to be a consistent person. Once released, I had a couple of years of sobriety under my belt but I enrolled in a rehab program anyway at the request of my parole officer. One day another man in the program was going on and on about how cool this program at Rise Up Industries was. I decided that once I finished the rehab program, I was going to join.
At first, I joined the Reentry Program just as a means to an end. But over time, I’ve realized how much this program has changed my life. Being a part of Rise Up helped me connect back to a piece of myself I thought I had lost in that bike accident. Something unique about Rise Up is that they actually care about your personal wellbeing. Being at Rise Up has built my self-confidence. Since I am going to graduate from the program soon, I have been taking part in job interviews. I feel confident in all that I have learned. This helps me feel good about asking for the wage I deserve instead of just accepting whatever is offered to me.
If you would look back at the person I was before starting this program, I have completely changed. I am in my third semester at City College, I have raised my credit score 200 points, and I already have a full-time job offer before even graduating. I am so thankful to have been a part of this program.