Ernest Melendrez
Friends Outside LA
Pasadena, CA USA
"I look at emotional literacy as one of the biggest keys in people’s lives because how do you learn to express yourself if you don’t know what to express. You have to ask yourself, what is it that you want?"
Career Roadmap
Ernest's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Education, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
When people find out about my past and my record, they typically are scared of me and want to avoid meeting me or talking to me. It is something that constantly follows me in my life. I am always working to challenge that stigma for formerly incarcerated people and make others in society realize we are people who just want a chance to change.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Certification
Conflict Analysis
The United States Institute of Peace
Certification
Crisis Intervention Training
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Southern California
Certification
Counseling Instruction
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Southern California
Certification
Professional Forensic Psychology
The Chicago School of Professional Psychology at Southern California
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
I grew up in East Los Angeles in a multigenerational gang-affiliated family and was exposed to violence, poverty, and drugs from a very young age.
2.
At eight years old, I was caught stealing bikes; by age 14, I was arrested for grand theft auto; by my late teens, I was addicted to drugs and had committed armed robbery and other crimes.
3.
In 2007, at the age of 35, I left prison for the last time and made the decision to change my life.
4.
I found support on my reentry journey by participating in behavior modification programs like Amistad de Los Angeles, which helped me better understand myself.
5.
Started taking classes at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College in subjects like community building, professional development, mentoring, and conflict resolution.
6.
Began working as an organizer and employment specialist directly in communities heavily affected by gangs, violence, drugs, and incarceration in the hopes of disrupting those cycles.
7.
I became a certified employment development professional and got a job working as a job specialist for Friends Outside in Los Angeles County and a case manager for their Dads Back! Academy.
8.
In 2017, I was the recipient of the Harriet Tubman Distinguished Award at the inaugural Beyond the Bars LA Conference.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
I'm scared of you.
How I responded:
When people find out about my past and my record, they typically are scared of me and want to avoid meeting me or talking to me. It is something that constantly follows me in my life. I am always working to challenge that stigma for formerly incarcerated people and make others in society realize we are people who just want a chance to change.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
Many members of my family were affiliated with gangs and I grew up being exposed to various amounts of violence, drugs, and poverty. I ended up falling into that lifestyle myself for many years until I decided to change my life.
Both of my parents were heroin addicts and, in my late teens, I became addicted to methamphetamines. This was all tied into my upbringing and how I spent to majority of my young life in and out of prison.
From the time I was 8 years old, I found myself in and out of juvenile and corrections systems for a variety of crimes. I got out for the last time when I was 35 and decided to change my life.
I was encouraged to go back to school by some of my mentors, but at the time, I didn't have the time to dedicate to it and I couldn't afford to pursue a full degree. I started taking classes at trade schools and got certified in things instead.