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David Andrade Highlight
You have to be a courageous person to ask for that helping hand.
About David
- He was raised by his mother and sisters, so he didn't have a strong male role model to look up to.
- As a result, his default "mentor" was an older cousin who was constantly in and out of prison.
- When he was a teenager, he started doing hard drugs-meth, PCP, cocaine-and he eventually was sent to prison.
- After nine years in prison, he was sent home with $200 and not much else.
- He'd heard that companies like Walmart and Target were "felon-friendly," but after interviewing for a few different jobs, he never heard back.
- One of his biggest problems was his antisocial behavior and his tendency to get into fights, so he signed up for therapy through Homeboy Industries.
- Homeboy Industries gave him a job, the right treatment for his drug addiction, and most importantly, a place where he could "feel comfortable."
- Worked his way up from a janitor, to now leading Homeboy's solar panel program; he promised his mom he'd never go back to prison, and kept his word.
