Jim St. Germain

Co-founder

Preparing Leaders of Tomorrow (PLOT)

New York, NY USA

“When you find people who refuse to give up on you and show you that you matter, it compels you to not let those individuals down...systems don’t change people, people change people.”

Videos

By Roadtrip Nation

Jim St. Germain

Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.

Born in Haiti but raised in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood, he grew up in poverty and surrounded by violence.

Before moving to the United States, he didn’t attend school regularly—there is almost no public education offered in Haiti, and his family never had enough money to afford private school.

His father was an addict and physically abusive toward him, his mother, and his siblings—as a result, Jim thought violence was how you dealt with problems, so he was always getting into fights.

To assimilate into life in Brooklyn, he began hanging out in the streets, skipping school, and going down a negative path—says in his neighborhood, you were either “predator or prey.”

Started selling marijuana when he was 14 and eventually began selling harder drugs—he’d been arrested more than a dozen times by the time he was 15.

At 16, he was charged with two felonies, but instead of prison, he was sent to “Boys Town,” a rehabilitation center—says being in the system liberated him from the environment that was crushing him.

Through the help of mentors and positive role models, he eventually received his GED and graduated from college with a degree in political science.

He is now an author, motivational speaker, mentor, nonprofit founder, policy advisor, and a passionate advocate for criminal justice reform, particularly in regards to the juvenile justice system.

Keep following my journey

Education

GED

Associate's Degree
Human Services, General
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

Bachelor
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Career

Co-founder

I am a nonprofit founder and mentor advocating for at-risk and formerly incarcerated youth.

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

Non-Profit Organizations

Politics

Upholding a Cause and Belief

Day to Day

I work with countless local, state and federal officials advising on matters related to juvenile justice, mentoring, mental health, substance abuse, and educational issues.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for high school students

Learn about the issues and get involved.

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"When you grow up, you are either going to be an athlete or a drug dealer."

Growing up, those were the only options that every kid thought was available to them and I leaned into that idea and started dealing drugs as a teenager. It took me getting arrested and experiencing the system to free me from that toxic environment and get my life back on track. However, I couldn't have done that without the mentors and positive role models I met along the way. You need to find people who will support you and believe in you no matter what and use that to motivate you to success.

Challenges I Overcame

Financial

Gangs / Violence

Learning Issues

Interviewed By

Beating the Odds

Overcoming barriers as a first-generation college student

Jim St. Germain

Co-founder

Videos

Jim St. Germain

Milestones

Education

Career

Career Roadmap

My work combines:

My work combines:

Non-Profit Organizations

Politics

Upholding a Cause and Belief

Day to Day

Advice for Getting Started

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

Challenges I Overcame

Interviewed By

Beating the Odds

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