"It's going to be tuff but you know how to eat an elephant right? One bite at a time." These were the words of encouragement I was given today by the Dean of Student Services at Lassen Community College. I have a lot on my plate right now due to the specific circumstances I find myself in. Being formerly incarcerated for the past 9 years I didn't have the opportunity to save money for College. My parents are both immigrants with low-income jobs who never pursued education upon arriving in the United States. I chose to be the spear for my family no matter my past mistakes & try to show them that education is required to succeed. The hard part for me is not the fact that I'm coming from nothing for you tend to appreciate every dollar you are rewarded whether for effort or given through aid. It is not having what you want & sacrificing it for the goal of obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Administration. I have $1,500 dollars saved up for next year's Fall 2022 semester, I have a part-time job that pays less than what you work for which I was just hired this week a month after parole. I enrolled at CSU-Los Angeles with the knowledge that I do not have the financial savings to pay for all of the tuition, books, fees, etc. Financial advice to me is very important & to be honest I am still trying to figure it out. I try to take nuggets from here & there to try to add value to my knowledge in this matter. I was never financially educated even though I am 29 years old i am still trying to figure it out. One bite at a time.

A happy memory happened recently on September 19, 2021. It was my parole date after serving a 9-year prison term. For me, it was a very happy day for upon release I knew I had a great support group that was going to help me not fail. During my incarceration, the Fire Department at CCC provided me with everything I needed to succeed. I took the opportunity they offered me to earn an AS degree & now I am on my way to try to earn a bachelor's thanks to them.

of course, paroling from prison and being able to earn an associate's degree in fire science was a feat I never saw myself accomplishing. I had to persevere in an environment that sometimes doesn't want to let me succeed. In addition to completing this feat for me, I continued my education upon parole 2 weeks ago by enrolling in the Lassen Community College Cla Fire Basic and have additionally planned out my schedule to fulfill Cal State LA requirements. I enrolled today in their Fire protection Administration & Technology Bachelor's degree. Throughout the process, it has been hard and I have felt that I have to fight twice as hard because of my past bad choice and because people have tried to discourage me in my pursuits in higher learning. I am doing everything I can to be optimistic and succeed. Any financial help will be stashed for educational purposes only I know what I want and I am going to accomplish it. I graduated with a 3.9 GPA and plan on maintaining good grades in the future. please consider me for this scholarship for you are paving the way for me if you do and are carrying some of the weight off my shoulders. Thank you for your time.

The prison environment in which I was introduced taught me right out the gate that I was going to be on my own. There wasn't too much help so anything you wanted to accomplish you had to pursue it. I enrolled go a cognitive thinking class first to restart my mind a bit of where I went wrong in the process. I realized that I was too much codependent on what others thought of me like being a people pleaser. I made the connection that my crime and the sense of belonging to the people I affiliated with was flawed and resolved to change it. It was hard though because while in the groups I tried to share what was true yet inside of me I knew these guys were judging me and looking for ways to prey on my vulnerabilities. Yet I continued and graduated from the program regardless of what they thought of me. I know drugs played a role in my life between the ages of 18 and 20 before accepting my time so as soon as I graduated I enrolled in (RDAP) Rehabilitation Drug Abuse Program. I abused my body and mind with marijuana, cocaine, crack, ecstasy, and crystal. It was very accessible to me at the time and I know that at the time I didn't have the power to say no for I cared too much what the people thought of me. Joining the program was hard for I had to share experiences with people who were forced into the program who at times was under the influence in group sessions. I struggled because I thought it was a joke participating in rehabilitation groups with people who as soon as they got some money went to the dealer within the walls to get high and when it was my time to share I would look at them and say what's the point. Regardless thanks to individuals I met who were older and wiser than me I was encouraged and continued with my rehabilitation. I ended becoming a mentor in the program for a month and helped facilitate group meetings. I wanted to reduce my time so I did some investigating and found that the California Correctional Center Firehouse had a firefighter program so I inquired and asked for an interview which I passed. At the Firehouse, I learned how to give back to the community by serving them in their time of need. I became an apparatus engineer for a type one engine as well as the extinguisher tech assistant. I served the Lassen County Community by responding off grounds to structure and Vegetation fires, traffic collisions, medical aids, and general public support. I earned an associate's degree in Fire Science and learned a great deal as a firefighter. I was incarcerated at the firehouse for two years and upon parole, on 9/19/2021 I enrolled at Lassen Community College to participate in the Cal Fire Academy to potentially get hired for the 2022 fire season. I also am working on scheduling general education courses to complete transfer requirements to attend Cal State Los Angeles and earn a Fire Administration & Technology bachelor degree. Nine years of incarceration have taught me a lot of perseverance and how to set goals no matter where you are in the long run if you truly stay dedicated you can accomplish it. My prison term was one big obstacle infused with many more and reentry has its own but I hope for the best and at the end of the day only you can lead your life.