BLOG POSTS
February 2026: Malik
Growing up, I understood at a very young age that my mom chose her addiction over me. My father was never in my life. Even my only brother wasn’t around. I experienced verbal and physical abuse, with gang life and drug use being normalized in the household. I felt like my father betrayed me for not being there to stop me from getting hurt. I used to look at my family as authority figures that I feared, but not respected. From when I was a young kid, I was taught that aggression was a means to solve my problems, and I used it in that way up to my adulthood.
I joined a gang when I was 12 years old. I went to juvenile hall multiple times, with my aggression escalating. I did it all because I thought it would gain the respect of my gang, but I now see it as a false sense of entitlement. I was just so angry all the time. I think I was trying to protect the little boy in me from getting hurt. I eventually started heavily using drugs and robbing people before I was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2006.
While I was in prison, I started blaming everyone but myself for my problems, and spiraling out of control. Because of my actions, I ended up in solitary confinement a lot. In 2012, during one of my times in solitary, and after my grandma died, I had a spiritual awakening. I asked God, “What am I to do? What do you want from me? I can’t keep doing these things anymore. I just really want to change my life.” I started to remold and shape my true inner character by reading a lot of books. I went back to ancient Egypt, different mythicisms and mythologies, religions, and cultures – just learning from everyone’s stories. I joined groups like Criminals and Gang Members Anonymous, Toastmasters, Hustle 2.0, anger management, art classes – any group on the yard, I was in it. I was working on myself – mentally, physically, and spiritually. I started taking a more active role in my life in order to manifest what I wanted. With all of the changes I made, I got resentenced in March 2025, sent to the Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP) in September 2025, and finally released in November 2025.
I found out about Rise Up through my wife. There were so many signs leading me there, and after talking to our case manager, Wendy, I knew it was where I needed to be. I feel grateful and blessed to have my wife and my daughter. Not everyone is lucky to have a family they can turn to when they get out. We’re hoping to buy a house one day together to call our own. I first met my wife when I was 10 years old, and we reconnected after all this time because I was determined to find her again. My grandma once said that she’s not convinced little kids can be in love, but she believed that we were. I think my grandma would be smiling up in heaven knowing that we found each other again.
I feel like my destiny and purpose is to bring people together and to keep people from going into the cycle that I was in. I don’t want kids to wake up looking at a 40-year sentence before they finally wake up. I’m working on multiple books, including a children’s book called I Was Once You, to help kids understand that they can reach the things they want in life. I also want to start a nonprofit for boys without father figures to find mentorship and enrichment through activities like camping and fishing. Further down the line, I want to start a similar program to Rise Up to teach CNC machining to older youth so they can learn a trade, gain confidence and meaning, and stay off the streets.
I once read a book that said, if a person wants to think about the bad, then weeds will grow, because that’s what you planted into the soil. Likewise, if you think about love and peace and wellness, those seeds will produce abundantly in your soil. When you believe in yourself and the power that God has in your life, it makes everything worth living for. We can’t love the things that can’t love us back. The sun helps you see, the trees help you breathe, your mind helps you think – the streets don’t love you back. We need to give love and peace to one another, because we’re stronger together.
January 2026: Siosaia
I was born and raised in Long Beach, CA in a Christian household, along with my four brothers and two sisters. I remember every night at 7pm we’d pray together as a family in the living room, and watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. Still though, my parents used to physically abuse me and my siblings with beatings. We had nothing, and lived in a poor, gang-infested neighborhood. I’d go to school and see the toys and things that other kids had, and when I came back home to ask my parents for it, they’d slap me for even asking them when we had no money. I envied other kids for what they had, and I wanted to belong with them.
My older brother was in a gang, and he and his friends gave me that sense of belonging and loyalty that I was craving. I started being involved in a gang from middle school leading up to high school. In 2007, one of my cousins was shot and killed outside our church. The last time I ever saw him alive was earlier that day during an argument that I still regret. It was just an hour later that my sister called me. I could feel that something was wrong. I got to the church and saw police cars, yellow tape, and people crying. Seeing him laying on the ground was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through.
Four months later, my brother and I were arrested. I was sentenced to 25 years to life at 17 years old. I felt like prison was just going to be my life now. I kept messing up and I turned my back on my family while the people that I was looking up to – they were never there. In 2017, I finally felt a spiritual awakening during my eighth time in solitary. I remember thinking to myself, “I’m tired of this. If I were to die today, how would my family remember me?” And I decided that I was done with the kind of life I was living.
When I first went into solitary, my neighbor introduced himself through the vent and asked me my name. I used to hate my name. Other kids used to make fun of me for it, and teachers couldn’t say it right. No one respected it, so I forgot it. I used my gang moniker instead for the longest time, so that’s the name I told my neighbor. He said, “No, what does your family call you? ” When I told him my name, it felt like it was somebody else that said it. He said, “Siosaia? That’s a cool name.” It’s hard to describe, but I remember feeling so human in that small moment, and I knew everything was going to be alright. I started going to church, facilitating self-help classes, got my GED, and enrolled in Imperial Valley College classes. For once in my life, I started believing in myself instead of what society put on me.
For the last nine years, I’ve just been working on myself and building “Siosaia.” When I think about the past now, I don’t even think about the bad things. I don’t have any more hate in my heart. I only think about the good things – how my mom used to make Faikakai, Tongan dumplings, for us in the morning before we went to school, and how my dad always took me to fix cars and to stores. I see the good in people now. I put myself in people’s shoes. I realized it all starts with being vulnerable in sharing your story, and hoping the next person that’s lost can find solace in it and find their way home.
I found Rise Up from another current member in the Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP). I can’t really explain the feeling of being accepted into Rise Up, but I was just so happy. Rise Up was my first interview ever, and it was going to be my first job too. For my future, I plan to finish Rise Up and make CNC machining my long-term career. I also really enjoy doing hair, so I hope to open my own barber shop one day. I’m finishing the last part of my now-shortened sentence in MCRP right now, and I’m so excited to finally be released in February 2026. I’ll be moving to sober living, and looking forward to finding permanent housing after finishing Rise Up. I’m putting all my energy into being honest, working, and staying motivated – and above all, being grateful. When challenging things happen now, I remind myself it’s nothing compared to what I’ve been through before. It might be rainy today, but I know it’ll be sunny tomorrow.
December 2025: Jimmy
My dad used to drink a lot, and he would take out his anger on my mom. When I was 5 years old, I remember standing up for my mom when he was hitting her, so he started hitting me too. Out of me and my five siblings, he was most aggressive and abusive with me. I grew up as a little kid having so much hatred for their dad. Even though I hated him, when teachers asked me about my bruises, I would say that I fell down. I would lie to the social workers and say he didn’t hit me. Even at such a young age, I had to think about how we would survive if he was taken away.
We moved around a lot in San Diego before settling down when I was 9 years old. This was when I first joined a gang. I was ditching school and doing things to try to prove myself to them, which resulted in me getting locked up in juvenile hall for 16 days for breaking into a car. I cried every day I was there. When I got out, I went back to doing the same old thing. This time when I went back to juvenile hall, I didn’t cry. From age 9 to 18, it’s where I spent most of my life – getting out only to go back in for doing another crime. My mom would visit me every Sunday. She would tell me how sorry she was, and I wouldn’t understand because it wasn’t her fault. I was only 14 years old and I remember her saying, “The way you are right now is because of your dad.”
When I was 18 years old I was moved to county jail, going from seeing kids my age to grown men. After I got out, I met a girl, got married when I was 20 years old, and moved to LA. That time would be the longest I had ever been out – 3 years – but that ended after our divorce. I moved back to San Diego, and went back to what I knew, because it was the only way I thought I could provide for my parents and siblings.
When I was 24, I was sentenced to prison for 18 years. I thought my life was over. When I was waiting for my trial, my dad came to visit me. I was very surprised because he never visited me when I was in juvenile hall. I walked in and saw my dad through the glass, and was hit with so much anger because of everything he’d done to me. We didn’t talk for the first hour he visited. He finally broke the silence to tell me that my life wasn’t over, and I’ll get a second chance after I serve my sentence. Then – he apologized to me. He said it was all his fault, and that he was sorry for hurting me when I was a little kid. My dad was in tears. I’d never seen him like this before, but seeing and hearing him made all my hatred go away. I started to cry and apologized too. I knew that my dad just did what his own father did to him. And during this visit, my dad told me he loved me for the very first time.
I have a good relationship with my dad now, and I talk to my mom all the time. I’ve served 11 years of my sentence, with my last couple years being in the Male Community Reentry Program (MCRP). Because of being able to serve some of my sentence in the community through MCRP, I’ve been able to work at Rise Up. I love it here. There’s such a welcoming and positive energy from everyone. Even when other things are going on in my life, I’m able to leave it outside the moment I step in here. I can put a lot of pressure on myself, but I’m trying my best to support my parents and to keep learning everyday. I don’t know what purpose God has for me, but it helps me to just live for each day, because we don’t know what will come tomorrow.
September 2025: David
I experienced a lot of violence in my childhood. I was just six years old when I first remembered the physical abuse that my dad would cause to my mom and siblings. I was just nine years old when my 16-year old brother was killed in a gang-related shooting. I heard the gunshots that killed him outside our home. I saw him on the ground, but my dad didn’t show any feelings that day. He didn’t cry when they pronounced him dead, and he didn’t go to his funeral. These images have stayed with me and showed me that being unfeeling and violent was what a man was supposed to be. At just 13 years old, I joined a gang as part of my drive in wanting revenge for my brother’s murder.
At 18 years old, I became incarcerated with a life sentence. After 15 years of serving my sentence, I changed my way of thinking. My dad passed away, and I cried for the first time in a long time. It felt so human to release those feelings. I felt a change within me. I started to help others who were going through family challenges or moments of grief, and it felt good to be able to share that with them. Before, I was on a quest for revenge, but that changed into a quest to help people better their lives and make them feel comfortable to share their emotions. I started going to church, taking college classes, developing my own moral values, and being empathetic to others. Through this personal growth, and after serving over 20 years of my sentence, I was released in 2023 to start a new path.
I’m proud of the things I’ve been able to accomplish since earning my freedom. I’m a full-time student studying Manufacturing at San Diego City College, and I have an apartment, driver’s license, and a car – things I never had before. Prior to my brother’s passing, my family owned a house and a mini market, but they sold everything because my brother was murdered outside our family home. We moved all around after that, from living in cars to motels to apartments, but never for more than a year. Now, having my own apartment, it feels stable and secure, like a home is supposed to. It feels like I’m doing the right thing.
I found Rise Up in 2018 while I was still in prison. I wanted to remove some of my tattoos, and a friend gave me the idea to reach out to local organizations for support. Joe Gilbreath responded to my letter, and gave me advice on my idea to start a tattoo removal program in RJ Donovan. Another interested individual and I pitched the idea to the warden, and we were able to start the program in 2020. I’m proud to say that it’s still continuing today. After this, I kept corresponding with Joe, and he told me about the CNC program at Rise Up. I was already doing CNC in RJ Donovan and had appreciated what Joe had already done for me, so I knew I wanted to continue with Rise Up.
I’m very proud of my accomplishments since returning home. It can be hard for me to appreciate the small wins along with the big ones, but I’m seeing the good in myself and how hard I’ve worked to be where I am today. My future goals are to move into a house within a few years, have a permanent CNC job, and travel the world. I’m excited for all there is to come in this new journey of my life.
August 2025: Bulmaro
My mom was a single parent raising five children, and she worked so hard to provide for us. We lived in a garage with no real walls and no stove, but we were never hungry. Because of how hard my mom worked though, she wasn’t around too much, so we had a lot of time to spend running around in the streets.
For a little while before living with my mom, I lived with my aunt on a ranch, and they’d have all of us kids helping out with the animals and grounds, and I really liked it. Once I moved to the city with my mom, it was hard for me to adjust to the differences, especially because we were in a poor neighborhood with gang activity. Being exposed to that as a kid, things that shouldn’t be normal become normalized to you. I would see and experience things that I shouldn’t have been seeing or experiencing as a child, but it was what I knew because that was what was around me. Joining a gang was almost a forgone conclusion, because a lot of my older cousins were already involved. I looked up to them and I felt like it was what I was supposed to do too. I was initiated when I was about 13 or 14 years old, and later committed a crime that resulted in a life sentence.
Being in prison with a life sentence changed my perspective and way of thinking. Seeing other people with life sentences gain their freedom gave me hope that things could change for me. I wanted a chance to come out of prison and be a productive person. I started focusing and reflecting on myself and who I want to be in my life. After the work I put in, I was released from my sentence last year in San Diego, but I was nervous at first because my support network is in Los Angeles. One thing that has helped me though is that instead of depending just on myself, I’ve become much more open to asking help from others.
I learned about Rise Up through Second Chance, a job readiness training program. I was doing handyman and security work at the time, and one of their staff recommended Rise Up to me. I asked another friend of mine about Rise Up and he said good things too. I noticed this circle of people all knowing each other and it made me feel like Rise Up was exactly what I needed to do. It feels good being here letting people who want to help me, help me. I’m trusting the process and the people around me, and paying attention to what I’m actually seeing and not what I want to see – being here just fits. It’s opened my mindset to think about the possibilities for my future and career.
Since getting out, I’ve been moving forward in a steady way. People say I’m moving like a turtle, but it’s been working out for me. The small challenges that have come up don’t really bother me because of how steady I feel. I’ve learned and experienced that when you do good, good things happen. I’m in transitional housing for the time being, I’ve been saving up my money, my family relationships are good – and I know it’s from me putting in the work to keep it up.
July 2025: Loren
I’m in a great spot in my life and know I’m going to stay in it because of how hard I’ve worked on myself, my work, and my education, and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. Even though I’m working a lot, for the first time in what feels like a long time, I’m going to finally have more free time to rest, ride my motorcycle, race cars, and do things just for fun. After all I’ve been through in my life and the hard work I’ve put in to turn things around, I’m excited to just be at ease.
I value the camaraderie and community at Rise Up, and am grateful for my coworkers who have helped me achieve what I’m looking to achieve. Their support has meant a lot in my work, life, and education. School has also helped me a lot because it helps me stay focused on learning about machining and programming, which I’m really interested in for my professional future.
I’m at a point in my life where I just want to work hard to get to what I want to achieve. I’ve always loved cars, and I’m getting into programming, so I want to mix those things together and build parts for cars. I also want to start racing cars again, and get other interested program members into it too. Since being at Rise Up, I’ve realized that it feels good to help other guys that have gone through similar things to me find positive outlets in their lives, and I want to keep doing that.
June 2025: Jairo
Until now, I never had a place of my own. Before I was incarcerated, I was just a kid living with my mom. And for the next 25 years, I would always be living with someone. Even after I was released from prison, I still lived with other people in transitional housing. I was free, but I still felt locked in. When I finally got my own place, I didn’t have to tippy-toe through my life anymore. I still have some boxes I need to unpack, and I’ve had to learn how to adjust my budget to account for new bills, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the freedom I now have. After so many years of always being surrounded by others, I feel liberated in being able to plan my own day and life.
In school, my high GPA has gotten me in the Honor Society at SDSU, which I was really excited about. Besides the things I’m learning in my Sociology classes, I get to meet and hang out with different people who didn’t come from my walk of life, and have all these different types of conversations, so I learn about other people too. There’s an energy on campus that I’ve never experienced before, where everyone is there to learn from each other, and I’ve been thriving from it. I’m not afraid to ask questions, but I noticed that I’ve been needing less help navigating my education than when I first started, so it’s great to see how far I’ve come. I’m excited for all the ways that school will continue to open my horizons.
May 2025: Komisi
Being the oldest boy in a Samoan household came with certain expectations. I was held to a different standard than my five sisters and younger brother. My father is a retired Master Chief of the US Navy, so he was very strict and wanted me to run the household, especially when he went overseas. As a child, he would have me working on cars, plumbing, and other things that an elementary school kid wouldn’t be working on. My father was very strict and stern, and whenever I veered out of order, he was always on my case. At first he was verbally aggressive, then that turned into beatings. The first time he knocked me out, I was in 5th grade. I remember thinking, “how does he not see that I’m his son?” It twisted my view of self, and my view of what family is. On top of that, he didn’t treat anyone else in my family this badly, just me, so it gave me a very low view of myself.
At school, I would ask other kids how their fathers would beat them, and they would get confused. I quickly realized that wasn’t a normal thing that fathers did. Even culturally, kids would make me feel bad for my name, food, and other things that were all normal to me. Everywhere I turned, whether at home or with friends, it felt like someone had something to say against me, and I felt extremely alienated. I started treating other people the way I was getting treated at home, because it was the only way I knew how to balance the scales. I was still in elementary school, but I started to feel a sense of belonging with negative influences in the street. At the time, I felt like I was somebody with them when I didn’t feel like I was somebody anywhere else. By the time I was in junior high, I was already identifying as a gang member. When I was 14 or 15 years old, I got so tired of living at home that I left to stay with friends or other family – anywhere but at home.
I was making bad decisions in my life, and I was faced with a life sentence at about 29 years old. My mom would visit me in prison, and I was always happy to see her. After she passed away, I realized if I ever had even a chance of coming home, I needed to change my life. Prior to my life sentence, I never took time to look at my life and understand the certain moments that would play out to something greater later on. There are moments early in my life that I can now trace back to see how they affected me more than I ever realized. I’ve had a lot of time to reflect, and I see I normalized so many things that gave me a poor vision of life. The things I hated being done to me, I would do to others. It took me a long time for the lightbulb to go off in my brain and to have a higher sense of self. I was inspired by other guys who were also on the path of changing their lives. They seemed like whole new people, and it made me feel like I could do that too. When I went to Board and was found suitable for release, it showed me that these professionals saw me as someone they could trust in their neighborhood, and I want to keep living up to that.
I’m extremely blessed with the life I have today, because I’ve been able to reclaim myself. Besides recovering from a life sentence, I also recovered from cancer. When I was incarcerated, the lump in my neck was brushed off as just a cyst, so it wasn’t until I had already been at Rise Up for a year that I discovered it was cancer. I had to take time away to go through treatment, and I was nervous there wouldn’t be space for me to come back to Rise Up, but they were always there for me. During times of uncertainty, it was reassuring to have Rise Up there. I feel very fortunate and grateful to have been a part of Rise Up, and am excited for my next journey after graduating from the program later this year.
My wife and daughter have been my support network through everything. They’re my voices of reason and help remind me that everything is going to be okay. Sometimes just a calm word or hand on my shoulder from them is all I need. I’ve made peace with my father too. I don’t think he’s a bad person. I think he was just giving me what his father gave him. When I tell my father I love him now, I can see he doesn’t know how to take it, and it makes me see that his father didn’t give that to him. I see now that I’m instrumental to breaking the cycle of doing the bad things that were done to you. I’m working hard, and I’m finding common ground with people instead of automatically seeing differences. It feels like the momentum is in my favor, and I’m going to capitalize on that and keep pushing forward in my new reclaimed life.
April 2025: Mike
Since my reentry, one of the biggest things I realized about myself is that I am a very resilient person. I have faced many challenges since my release and since starting at Rise Up, even just from navigating everyday life. I was incarcerated from ages 17-30, so there was a lot that I’ve had to learn. I didn’t know how I would handle those challenges, and I was scared of that unknown. But whenever I faced my fears, things always turned out okay in the end. The hurdles I had to overcome were there and they were hard, but I realized I was strong enough to get through them in ways that better served me.
I’m about to graduate from Rise Up, and it’s all very bittersweet for me. The support they’ve given me through navigating my life has been important to me, and I’m going to miss the relationships I’ve made with everyone. Starting something new brings up a lot of feelings, but I’m ready to move onto my next journey now that I’ve built a good foundation for my life and career, especially for my family. I had my first son soon after my release, and he’s now almost one year old. I’ve had to figure out so much as a new dad while working, going to school, and navigating life in society again. I’m so glad that I get to build a life for my son and experience things together.
I’ve been trying to get things to fit into place since my reentry, and I can finally see my future and potential within reach. I didn’t know what to think when I was first released, I was just happy to be free. But I knew it would be hard, and it would be difficult. And it has been, but I’m glad that I’ve been able to get through the hard and difficult times, because it’s shown me that I can handle the unknown better than I thought I could.
March 2025: Teddy
During my childhood, and even when I was just a toddler, I was faced with things that even adults didn’t experience. My parents divorced when I was two years old, and my mom got into a relationship with a drug dealer after that. This guy used to beat up all of us: my mom, me, and my sister. She came home late one night, and just because of that, he, his brother, and his father broke my mom’s arms with a baseball bat in front of me and my sister. He wouldn’t even let her go to the hospital. I was only three years old at the time, but I remember it. She eventually was able to escape from him, but my sister and I were left behind, and we were sent off with family. I ended up at different family members’ homes up until I was 12 years old, when I went back to staying with my mom.
Even though I went to 13 different schools by 7th grade because of how much I moved around, I was still getting A’s and B’s and on the honor roll. But my mom was homeless when I went back with her, so I dropped out of school in 7th grade. My mom was sometimes on the run, sometimes in jail, and I fell through the cracks. My mom got me into robbing houses, and that’s what I would do to support myself since it was the only way I knew how. I would end up in the juvenile justice system, but when my mom was murdered in 2001, I went to prison for the first time shortly after that.
I would be in and out of prison, serving 11 terms, for the next 18 years. It got to the point where I couldn’t stay out of prison; it felt inevitable that I would just keep going back. That all changed when I had my son. I knew that I had to change things in my life if I was going to be there for him, so I turned things around to make sure that I would be. He was five weeks old when I got out, and when I first saw him, it was such a good feeling. I didn’t even know how to hold him at first because he was so little. He’s almost two years old now and a little party animal. We always go out on his scooter or little remote-controlled car, and we go to the park all the time. I’m really happy that I’m with my family. From 12 years old, unless I was housed in a state prison, I was living on the streets with no home. Now I live with my girl and our family, and I’m so happy to be with them. This is the first time I’ve had a place to call home since what’s felt like forever.
I found Rise Up through Mike Lucero, who graduated from the Reentry Program and now works at Rise Up full-time. We’ve known each other since we were young, and he thought it would be a good fit for me. I’ve really liked being here, and I’m trying to learn as much as possible about CNC so that I can get a good job to support my family. I feel great about how my life is going and the path I’m on, and I’m excited to keep being here for my son.
February 2025: Jairo
I was raised by a single mother in a low-income community, with my older brother being the only male role model in my life. After he joined a gang, I was also targeted. When I was 14, an older rival gang member of my brother’s pointed a gun in my face. I tried to tell him that I wasn’t in a gang, but it didn’t matter. Because my brother was in a gang, I was collateral damage. Before this moment, I was just a normal kid with normal friends going to school. But after this moment, everything changed. I was humiliated, and knew I needed help and protection, so I joined my brother’s gang.
When I was 17, I committed a crime and was tried as an adult. I was sentenced to life in prison at 18 years old. While I was in prison, I felt hopeless and kept making mistakes. I hit what I considered to be my rock bottom in 2018, and made a crucial decision on what I had to do with my life if I was ever going to have a chance of getting out. I turned my life around, got sober, attended self-help groups, got a job, learned two trades, and completed three degrees. Because I was making positive changes in my life and I fit the criteria of being a juvenile offender when I committed my crime, I was able to go to Board to see if I could be deemed suitable for release. People would tell me to be prepared to be denied since it was just my first time going to Board, but I was always a person who defied the odds. After my hearing, and after serving 25 years and a day of my sentence, I was found suitable and finally able to go home.
Growing up, I had been a good student, it was just that I gravitated towards the street rather than my education because I didn’t have the right support system. But now, I feel like my education and believing in a higher power saved my life. A week after being released from prison, I started my Bachelor’s degree at San Diego State University. Being in school has helped me tremendously, but it was hard at first and I had to navigate lots of new things like socializing with my classmates, and especially working on computers. Even though it was a culture shock at first, I’ve made new friends that I share things in common with, and I’ve been working hard to keep learning. I’m happy to say that after my first semester, I received one A and two B’s.
It’s been challenging acclimating back into society, but one thing I learned from being in prison as a young man, is to not be afraid to ask for help. I’m not ashamed to ask for help, and I think that’s helped me so much in school, making friends, and navigating everything since I’ve been home. So far, I’ve been blessed and ask God to guide me in my next steps in life. Every day, I wake up and am grateful that I’m out here making my own choices. I’ve been hiking mountains, going to the beach, spending time with people, and exploring where I can. I’m in transitional housing now, but the fact that I get to make the choice for myself of where I live afterwards is something I don’t take for granted, and I’m excited to make that choice.
I learned about Rise Up from my friend, Mike Lucero, who also joined Rise Up and is now on their permanent staff. I started the Reentry Program just two months after being released, and I know being here is going to help me on this next journey of my life, wherever it’s going to be. If I have the opportunity to do something, I’m going to do it, because I’m free now to right the wrongs in my life. One day, I would like to work with at-risk youth so they can learn from me and my story, and to help them get on the right path.
January 2025: Eli
I was about 4 years old when I moved out of the Philippines and to San Diego. Everything was new to me, from shopping centers to refrigerators. It was a shock to me to see so many things that I never knew about, but it seemed normal to everyone else. These things may have been new, but the thing that was bad was the household I was in. I grew up in an abusive household, which really affected how I felt. I was exposed to violence and abuse, and adults who didn’t provide for me the way they should. I always felt out of place where I went, due to my trauma and not knowing any English. My asking for help was acting out since it was all I knew – I didn’t know how else to do it. I carried the abuse with me and it became part of my mindset.
After 6th grade, I found a connection with people in the streets who had been through hard things like me. I used to hang out with kids my age who were into skateboarding like me, but I felt like they didn’t understand me the way that guys in the streets did. One day, one of those guys helped me by buying me new clothes so I wouldn’t be made fun of at school. I was shocked because no one had ever done anything like that for me. I felt like I could trust these people because it felt like everyone else in my life was lying to me. I started hanging out with them more, and getting more into gang life in 7th and 8th grade. In middle school, my foster family took me in and were really good to me. They tried to help me, and I felt things were getting better because I had supportive people in my life. But once my foster dad passed away in middle school, I felt lost again and the streets were there for me.
After hitting rock bottom so many times, whether due to violence or drugs, I knew things had to change. You do the same thing and expect different results, but I realized I had to stop doing the same thing if I wanted changes in my life. Especially because I want to be there for my three kids in a way that my parents weren’t there for me. I got sober a couple of years ago, and after getting out of custody in April 2024, I learned about Rise Up and knew I wanted to be a part of it.
After never thinking ahead, I now have an outlook of this guy in the future who’s a homeowner, doing right in society, and most of all, being a good role model for my kids. I’m currently in sober living and am excited to find my own place. It feels good to be stable and have a positive state of mind. Rise Up has helped complete that goal, but I got where I am today through my own initiative. I knew that all my past choices were not who I wanted to be or who I really was. It all starts with you as a person.
December 2024: Marty
I came from a good household, with my parents trying to instill good morals in me and my siblings, and trying to give us a good life. There were 12 kids in the house, and they did what they could, but I honestly felt that if I left, I wouldn’t be missed. At around 10 or 11 years old, I started running with gangs and being groomed for things I didn’t even realize I was getting into. At the time, I believed in what the streets were telling me, and I ran with it.
I first went to juvenile hall at 11 years old. I knew it brought my mother pain for me to get into trouble and be away from them, but the desire to be part of something was bigger than my family. Before I turned 18 years old, I had been in and out of the juvenile system so many times, it almost felt like juvenile hall was my home. Choosing the path of the streets changed my life forever. I was jumped and groomed into a gang at a very young age, and I felt like I wasn’t seen with my family, but I still feel it was my choices that led me to the path I was on.
During my last time spent incarcerated, I was serving a 15-25 year sentence, and ended up spending 35 years in prison. My wife and daughter had always moved whenever I moved to different facilities so they could be closer to me. They always supported me during my sentence. I realized that things needed to change when my daughter visited me in 2010 after my wife died so I could sign the papers to cremate her. She came to me and said, “I need you.” At that moment, she looked like a baby to me. From then on, I never looked back. There was nothing that could get in front of me. I was focused on change, getting self-help and mentors and a sponsor, and worked hard so I could make it back to life and to my daughter.
I was finally found suitable for release after I went to Board on June 27, 2023, just three hours after my second grandson was born. When I called my daughter to tell her I would be coming home, she nearly fainted to the floor. She always supported me, but she didn’t think she’d ever see the day that I would be free.
When I got out, I had to get a new ID, social security card, and learn so many things that I hadn’t had while I was incarcerated. At first, I lived almost 8 months in transitional housing, then received the keys to my very first apartment. It would be easy to be bitter and resentful about how many years I missed out on, but I don’t think like that. I’m happy to be alive, and I am focused on making a change. I’m always thinking about those who I’ve hurt in the past, and making sure that I don’t forget them, and that I don’t ever hurt anyone else ever again with my words or actions. I feel like my true self, the one that just wants to make people happy and laugh, is finally coming out after so long.
I’m so grateful to be home again and to have learned from my past choices. Rise Up Industries is helping me solidify my reentry through training me in work and supporting me through this positive journey. I can’t wait to keep experiencing new things. My dream is to travel so I can see more parts of the world that I hadn’t been able to see before. Now that I’m free, I won’t take anything for granted.
November 2024: Patrick
My childhood was normal, but it had its challenges. My father was an alcoholic and hung out with the wrong crowd. Eventually, my mom got tired of it and divorced him when I was thirteen. My older brother became my best friend and mentor. Being five years older, he taught me everything he was learning in high school, so I was way ahead of my grade level. School quickly became uninteresting for me, especially since I have severe ADHD. My brother also coached me in Pop Warner football, teaching me about teamwork and sportsmanship. I played various sports like baseball, football, and basketball during school and enjoyed skateboarding and riding bikes in my free time.
When my parents split, I spent a lot of time alone with my brother until he went to college. His departure left me feeling a deep sense of loneliness. My mom worked long hours as a nurse to support us, so I was often unsupervised and started experimenting with alcohol and other substances. I fell in with the wrong crowd and got into trouble, which followed me into my thirties.
In 2023, I was facing a serious charge that could have put me away for 25 years to life. Luckily, a judge saw potential in me and sent me to rehab after serving a year in county jail. I graduated from that program in March 2024 and moved into a sober living home but left because people were using drugs. Homeless and with nowhere to turn since I’d lost contact with my family, I held onto my spirit and determination.
During rehab, I discovered Rise Up Industries (RUI) and was determined to be part of it. A job fair led me to the RUI booth, and soon after, RUI accepted me into the program. With the help of friends and family I managed to set up a stable living environment to shorten the 3-hour commute daily to Santee for work.
Today, I have full-time employment, live in a house, attend college full-time, am active in my recovery and coming back stronger than I ever have been. RUI continues to mentor me in CNC machining and supports my growth in all aspects of my life. I am grateful for the blessings and the chance to build a better future. Thank you, God speed.
I miss you, Bro.
October 2024: T
I had a good childhood full of spending time with family. Over 20 of us lived under the same roof – parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles – and we always made time for family dinners and prayers. Still, I used to get picked on a lot as a kid, and it broke my spirit. It was usually people closest to me who would bother me, but it was just the norm to everyone, they didn’t even realize they were doing it. Even my older brothers would pick on me to try to toughen me up, but it had the opposite effect on me. I didn’t fight back with my words, I just felt smaller. I couldn’t defend myself because I was so insecure and anxious. I felt like I couldn’t speak when anyone said anything to me.
When I was in 6th grade, there was an 8th grader that befriended me and my other friends. We saw the attention and influence he had from everyone, so we idolized him. After I got into my first fight, I noticed that everyone was giving me attention too. All the attention and praise was filling a void I had for so long, and it started to give me my confidence back. The 8th grader told me about the gang he was in and what they’re all about, and it interested me because I had felt so small for so long. I started emulating what it was to be a gang member in 6th grade, and actually became one in 9th/10th grade.
During my 15 years in prison, I gradually started feeling a change in my mindset. The more birthdays, graduations, celebrations, Christmas’s, and Thanksgiving’s I kept missing, the more my lifestyle was starting to wear on me. I remember sitting in my cell, looking at family pictures I wasn’t a part of, and it took a mental and emotional toll on me. When I first went to prison, my nephews and nieces were little, and I was sitting there looking at photos of them graduating high school. It made me tear up thinking of how much time had passed and how I’d missed so much of their lives.
The hardest thing I had to go through was losing my mom in 2020 and not even being able to go to her funeral. My biggest fear was losing her while I was in prison. After that, I would hear her voice in my mind to push me to do better, and I knew I had to keep trying. I started attending more classes and groups to gain more insight on myself, and kept trying to do better so I could be with my family again. When I finally got out, they were all so happy to see me after so long, and I was happy to finally be with them.
About 6 months after I was released, my parole officer told me about Rise Up Industries. Even though I didn’t know much about CNC, I decided to move forward with joining Rise Up. I’m grateful for this opportunity and all the resources available to us to make sure we have everything we need. I’m currently earning an engineering certificate alongside Rise Up’s program, so I plan to pursue a career in CNC or engineering after graduating from Rise Up. I hope to one day run my own company to support my family, since they’ve always been my biggest motivation.
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.
AUGUST 2024: JOSEPH
I was incarcerated for 18 years before my release on March 31st. My transition back to society has been faster than I expected. My advice to those returning home is to make sure you have established a good support network in all areas of your life. At work, I have Rise Up. In my personal life, I have my church support group.
I found myself on the streets for the first time when I was twelve years old. I had run away from home and ended up sleeping in parked cars, tree forts, and in parking lots. The abuse I experienced at a young age caused me to have issues trusting adults. I lived in group homes from 14 to 18 years old. As time went on, I spend time on the streets, in juvenile hall, and finally in prison. Although my environment contributed to my homelessness, much of it also had to do with the choices I made because of my upbringing. Homelessness has a large impact on people’s lives. Lacking a safe place to sleep and show means you are less likely to show up for job interviews and to work.
The Reentry Program’s comprehensive nature, specifically the job training component, motivated me to join. Rise Up has provided several services for me like career training, continuing education navigation support, a psychologist, a book club, and healthcare navigation support. I aim to one day become a mechanical engineer.
JULY 2024: NICK
At the age of 17, I was sentenced to life in prison. After 21 years, at 38 years old, I was released in 2021. When you get out of prison, you’re one of the lucky ones if you have family or friends that you can stay with while you figure out your work situation and get on your feet. This can be tricky as a “lifer” because many relationships change during your time incarcerated. Family members pass away. Friendships fade over the years. It can be hard to learn a trade, stay away from addiction, and find stability when you don’t have somewhere safe to live.
As a “lifer,” one of the most important things is finding stability in the form of housing. For most of us, you’re stuck working two jobs just to pay the rent and put a roof over your head. This doesn’t leave any time for schooling or learning a trade. The barrier to finding and affording stable housing is one of the most insurmountable struggles after being released from incarceration. Without a roof over your head, you can’t hold down a job, learn a trade, finish school, etc.
I’m grateful to be a part of the Reentry Program at Rise Up because I get the opportunity to be paid to learn a trade and also have the luxury to continue my education.
June 2024: ERIC
Before starting the Reentry Program, I spent years trapped in a cycle of depression and hopelessness. I couldn’t seem to gain any traction in my life. I drank too much, bouncing back and forth from jail to sober living to homelessness, over and over again. I couldn’t see any future for myself. Finding Rise Up gave me a sense of hope. Deep down, I had this desire to be a father and a grandfather, and to be able to spend time growing old with my family.
Rise Up gave me a trade that I can take with me and do anywhere in the country. I have been a part of other programs in the past, but they only offered housing and job training. Rise Up serves the whole person by offering mental health services, financial literacy training, and even teaching you to use technology in addition to job training and so much more. I am going to give the opportunity to live the future I imagined for myself by retiring and spending time watching my grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up.
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.
