Today, Jesse spends his days supporting others through reentry and mental health challenges, leading programs, and helping build pathways for people with lived experience to succeed. He is a Program Manager and HR Talent Acquisition Specialist at Project Return Peer Support Network and a full-time student at Cal State LA.
But this was not the life Jesse imagined for himself growing up.
Jesse’s early life was far from easy. Growing up in Los Angeles with immigrant parents from El Salvador, he faced instability at home and had to grow up too fast. When he was only ten years old, Jesse's father had a stroke, and because his mother worked two jobs and went to school, Jesse became his primary caregiver.
Jesse took care of his father until he was 13, then started getting in trouble for skipping school and tagging graffiti, eventually joining a gang at 15. It wasn’t long before he ended up in a juvenile detention center for carrying a firearm.
“I didn’t have parental guidance and was running wild as a kid,” says Jesse. “But when I got out of juvie, I quit the gang, joined a youth program that was mentored by the LAPD, and joined the LA County Sheriffs Academy when I turned eighteen.”
While training to be a police officer, Jesse’s past caught up with him, and he was kicked out of the academy due to false accusations.
Jesse was devastated when he left the force. He fell into a dark depression, and it wasn’t long before Jesse’s world imploded.
“Right after I turned nineteen, I was falsely accused of attempted murder,” Jesse says. “Not long after that, I stood in front of a judge and received a sentence of 32 years to life in prison.”
Jesse didn’t know how to process the possibility of a life sentence. He reaffiliated with his gang inside prison and leaned on them to survive his new surroundings. He seemed destined to live and die by the sword, until something happened that changed his life forever.
Jesse says: “When my father died, I had this epiphany, a feeling that I must use my time inside to better my life. For him, my family, and for myself.”
Jesse enrolled in the prison’s education program and earned his GED, accumulated multiple associate degrees from Coastline College, and completed a paralegal certification. He immersed himself in self-help programs and legal studies, driven by a new understanding that personal growth could pave the way to freedom.
When a civil rights attorney eventually took an interest in his case, new evidence and Jesse’s consistent pursuit of betterment helped lead to his release after serving almost two decades inside.
“I went to jail for the first time when I was 17, and two years later, I stood in front of a judge receiving a life sentence and wondering how it happened,” Jesse says. “Now I was told that I was being released, and I had to reset my mind to a new way of thinking.”
Although he had family support and resources, coming home was not simple for him. After so many years inside, reentry felt overwhelming. “There was a disconnect, and I didn’t feel joy right away; years of prison taught me to numb my emotions,” says Jesse.
But even amid uncertainty, Jesse moved forward with determination. Within weeks of his release, Jesse connected with the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) in Los Angeles – a turning point that would define his reentry experience.
CEO offered more than just a job; they offered community, structure, and the belief that Jesse could rebuild his life on his own terms. He began on a transitional work crew beautifying city spaces, then quickly advanced into an administrative role. His professionalism and heart for service made a lasting impression, and CEO soon brought him on full-time.
Jesse remembers how much the organization’s support meant: “CEO’s confidence in me built confidence in myself. They helped with interview clothes, gas stipends, and even paid for my cap and gown at college graduation. That kind of support reinforces that justice-impacted people matter too.”
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