Aly Tamboura
The Just Trust
San Diego, CA USA
"We have so many ways to recycle a plastic bottle, but we think of people as disposable. We have to shift the narrative...people are redeemable."
Career Roadmap
Aly's work combines: Technology, Non-Profit Organizations, and Upholding a Cause and Belief
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Prepare yourself and take advantage of every opportunity. Study hard and dive deep into yourself in order to find your true passion.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
Computer Software Engineering
Patten University
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Got married at a young age, dropped out of college, and decided to pursue my dream of entrepreneurship and start my own geotechnical company.
2.
While my professional life was excelling, my personal life was headed for disaster—in 2005, I was convicted of assault and spent the next 12 years in state prison.
3.
Early in my sentence, I got involved with the “lifer” community in prison and was so inspired by their optimism and self-awareness that I began taking classes and self-enrichment workshops.
4.
I eventually applied and was accepted to a college program through San Quentin State Prison—I attended Patten University and graduated with my associate’s degree.
5.
I helped relaunch the San Quentin News, an inmate-run newspaper that advocates for criminal justice reform and is distributed to every prison in California.
6.
Took part in an intense coding program for inmates, which led to me working at the software development workshop within San Quentin—my work caught the attention of Mark Zuckerberg.
7.
I was released from prison, began working as a full-stack software developer, and attended a coding bootcamp—this led to my position as a technical program manager for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
8.
After a few years with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, I'm continuing my work in criminal justice reform with The Just Trust.
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I was convicted of assault and spent over 12 years in state prison. Once I got out, I was determined to change my life.
When I was young, I lacked impulse control and emotional intelligence, which led me to make some regrettable decisions. In prison, I witnessed more violence than I had ever seen in my life, which helped me reframe my bad decisions.
I struggled heavily with my anger before and while in prison. There were many years of solitude and depression. Once I got to San Quentin and found a purpose, I started to overcome this. Survivor's guilt is a real thing and I use that to motivate me.