I grew up in South Los Angeles in the early 90s, where drugs and violence were rampant. Both of my parents struggled personally to provide for our family. When I was about 11, my parents divorced, leaving my siblings and me to pick up the pieces. Although my parents continued to struggle, I knew I wanted more out of life than the struggle my parents faced. Around that time, my older siblings went off to college. Modeling them, I also wanted to be a first-generation college graduate. When I look back at my life, now at thirty-four years old, I recount the mainstays that have contributed to my journey, including those from R. M. Pyles Boys Camp.
When I was about thirteen, I was selected to attend R. M. Pyles Boys Camp. I took any chance to escape the confines of the inner city and my family trauma. I arrived at the Long Beach pickup early in the morning. There was Dolphin and Wolf greeting families and organizing the newly arrived campers. After loading our luggage onto the bus, we headed to Beach Park. I can remember it vividly. I was nervously excited about the adventure that waited ahead.
We arrived at Beach Park, offloaded the bus, and loaded more campers onto the bus. Then we made our way into Sequoia National Park. The windy road meandered as we passed the Kern River and into vast groves of sky-high sequoias. Once we reached the top, we again offloaded the bus and were separated into age groups. Each counselor began to select their campers from the group of anxiously awaiting kids. Lobo was the first pick. At that moment, Lobo introduced himself. When Lobo picked our final group member, we grabbed our bag of sandwiches and apples for lunch and were off. I can still taste the bologna and cheese sandwiches. We hiked towards the main camp after eating our lunch. On the way, we introduced ourselves to one another. We were Lobo Familia.
When we arrived at the main camp, we gathered our belongings and toured the facilities. Around 5:30 pm that evening, the dining hall rang, and Lobo ushered us to the field behind the mess hall. He herded us into a line from shortest to tallest and asked us to tuck in our shirts. While waiting to be released for dinner, we watched the flag ceremony, prayed, and went off to eat. Bonding with my fellow campers and Lobo would begin a relationship with Pyles that would continue almost 21 years later.
After dinner, I volunteered for KP. Throughout the session, Lobo pushed all of us out of our comfort zone. Prior to Pyles camp, I never experienced backpacking before and it was one to remember. Lobo had the ambitious goal of reaching Coyote Lakes on day 1. A few of us rebelled but came to somewhat of a happy medium. As the camp session came to a close, I did not want to leave. The amount of integrity that was instilled in me affected my life greatly. I grew to love my new brothers and mentor through our shared experience.
When I got home, life picked up as normal. My family dysfunction continued and I entered the foster system. However, I stayed in contact with Pyles camp. Through this rough patch, both Dolphin and Wolf stayed in contact. I can honestly say that Dolphin became a father figure to me. At about 15, I returned to Camp for my Voyager year and would later become a worker. Our voyager year was guided by Duke and Unique. Both of them were complete opposites of each other but made amazing leaders. That year, Pyles camp was presented with a great opportunity to explore the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). It was a transformative experience.
Hiking the PCT was the most thrilling trip I had backpacking with Pyles The trail spans from Mexico to Canada. During this particular backpacking trip, a group of us spent 10-days in the backcountry and hiked about 60 miles while carrying 75-pound backpacks. We trekked the Central Valley portion of the PCT near Bishop, California. Halfway through our trip, we scaled the top of Olancha Peak. In the backcountry, I experienced the sinuous mountain trails, the meandering rivers, and groves of towering trees. As campers at Pyles Camp, we learned that the mountain trails paralleled our lives. In life, there are many “twists and turns” and “ups and downs”. If we were capable of hiking such rigid trails, then we could overcome our adversities. We were collaboratively supportive of each other. These are the values I teach the high school students I mentor. I borrow from my experiences to challenge them to push beyond their circumstances just as I did. I serve as an example to many that with resiliency and determination nothing is impossible.
As an adult, I share my narrative as an example of encouragement for students to attend and graduate college. As a statistics supplemental instructor leader for the Black Collegian and Adelante programs at Santa Monica College, I express the importance and impact of education to my students. I understand that without proper guidance, many of them will not succeed due to external factors. That is why I implore them to be resilient. I teach my students that if they stay focused and persistent, they can achieve their goals. I used my past to fuel my ambitions and used education as a catalyst for success. I have not and will not let my circumstances define me, and neither should they.
The moment of peripeteia occurred in my early twenties. I earned my GED just before my twenty-first birthday and transferred to Los Angeles City College (LACC) in 2008. I utilized the Guardian Scholars, a program that helps former foster youth matriculate into college, and the Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) programs. Both programs were instrumental in my academic success. I would mentor younger students struggling to figure out their journeys while tackling my adversities. Despite my many hardships, it was necessary to use my experience to encourage and inspire the students I mentored. Education is my north star. Eventually, I transferred to UCLA with a full-merit scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and minor in 2014.
Again, using education as my catalyst, I returned to school during the pandemic to show my commitment and readiness for an MBA program. Over the past year and a half, I completed seventeen classes. In June 2021, I graduated, with honors, with an Associate of Science for Transfer in Business Administration, an Associate of Arts for Transfer in Economics, an Associate of Science in Business, and an Entrepreneurship Certificate of Completion. Earning an MBA from Rice is my new north star, which will allow me to enter upper management roles and propel my career even further.