Hector Guadalupe
A Second U Foundation
New York, NY USA
"Figure out a way to do some good in this world."
Career Roadmap
Hector's work combines: Sports, Non-Profit Organizations, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Formerly incarcerated individuals face many barriers when we're released from prison. I experienced so many set-backs. They're going to happen regardless, but the key to getting past a lot of them is to educate others. Society tries to oppress us because they fear what they don't understand. If we can find ways to open up a dialogue and educate people on our experiences, they'll start to understand rather than fear and discriminate.
Here's the path I took:
Did Not Complete
Certification
Exercise Physiology, Health and Wellness
International Sports and Science Association
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I grew up in Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York.
2.
I started selling drugs at age 13 and was eventually indicted for drug distribution when I was 23 years old.
3.
Once in prison, my primary goal was to get healthy—I started working at the gym and working out myself.
4.
I felt a sort of rebirth through working out—I enrolled in a correspondence program, became a certified personal trainer, and started training others in prison.
5.
When I was finally released from prison, I struggled for several months to find a job—eventually, the New York Sports Club in Manhattan’s Union Square gave me a chance and hired me.
6.
I started helping all of the men I was connected with in prison by buying their gym gear and training materials and bringing them to the gym I was working at.
7.
That led to me going to federal institutions and halfway houses to try and help more and more formerly incarcerated people.
8.
After a couple of years, I founded A Second U Foundation, which helps formerly incarcerated men and women receive career training and find employment as personal trainers.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
You can't work here. You don't deserve this chance.
How I responded:
Formerly incarcerated individuals face many barriers when we're released from prison. I experienced so many set-backs. They're going to happen regardless, but the key to getting past a lot of them is to educate others. Society tries to oppress us because they fear what they don't understand. If we can find ways to open up a dialogue and educate people on our experiences, they'll start to understand rather than fear and discriminate.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I encountered so many barriers when I was released from prison. I had trained hard in prison and didn't expect to struggle for so long to find a job. My experience motivated me to help others so they wouldn't have to go through the same struggle.