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Born in Mexico, a young man came to the United States of America with his mother at the age of 2. In the eight grade, the poverty under which he lived was so extreme that he felt compelled to drop out and help his mother. At the age of 14, he joined a gang and lived on the streets. The young man eventually went back to high school but he quickly dropped out. A lot happened in between these years but after his best friend was gunned down in a gang fight, he had a stark realization. The young man soon met a great teacher who went out of her way to help him out. He eventually went to college, gained a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley [Cal Pride!], wrote two books and became an award winning professor. Would you believe me if I told you that this isn’t the plotline to a Hollywood film? 

Well it’s not the plotline. This is the man who is the focus of PBS NewsHour’s One Man’s Journey From Gang Member to Academia

Victor Rios says he has lived two lifetimes. In his first, he was a gang member, juvenile delinquent and high school dropout. Today, he’s a sociology professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies at-risk youth.

I was discussing the work of Prof. Rios over the weekend at the U.S.E.U. retreat at the University of California at Santa Cruz. One of the students at the retreat is currently working towards his Ph.D. under the guidance of Prof. Rios. This guy is the real deal, I highly recommend his work and I urge you to watch this.

Notes

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