San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
HOW I WAS ABLE TO REWRITE MY STORY AND REBUILD MY LIFE
Opportunities for students like me were scarce. Statistically speaking, I have beaten the odds. As the oldest child, the burden of responsibility was immense and I felt the need to become a provider and a protector at a very early age due to my community and the danger and violence that surrounded us. The thought of school as a way out never once felt like a viable option. Instead, I turned to a life of crime and was looking for an easy way to make money regardless of the costs. Partaking and poisoning my own communities with the rapidly growing and never-ending drug pandemic and making fast money became part of who I was. It was an easy route I chose to take with no remorse nor empathy for others at the time. I became part of the problem that destroyed the very same neighborhoods which I called home.
I was filled with so much anger having to also cope with a mother who had, over
is a student majoring in ethnic studies at USD and a member of the Torero Urban Scholars program and lives in southeastern San Diego. time, lost her battle to cancer. Once my decision-making had caught up to me, I found myself behind bars. I had experienced some close calls and a slap on the wrist here or there, but I felt that my life was over. However, this could not have been further from the truth. I believe that I was given a second chance at life while incarcerated. I never would have imagined or thought that I would find myself where I am today. I am Edgar Angulo Diaz, and I am a full-time student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies at the University of San Diego. In a lot of ways, I feel that school not only saved me, but is helping me reevaluate how I see myself and my surroundings. My journey has truly become a testament to the power of education in breaking the cycle of recidivism and overcoming the odds and negative stigma that carries on with incarceration.
In 2018, after having served several smaller sentences, I was now facing up to seven years in prison. This marked a turning point in my life; this was the wake-up call I needed. While serving my sentence, I took this time as an opportunity to reflect and redirect my life. Pursuing higher edu
cation became a beacon of hope. I began attending community college courses while on the inside where I earned 25 units by the time of my release. By late 2020, I continued on in my educational journey while on Mandatory Supervision Offender (MSO) probation.
After being released, I lived under the constant weight and fear of the judicial system, always afraid that I might return back to prison — an all-too-common fate for countless others just like me. Nonetheless, despite the barriers, I was able to rewrite my story and earn my associate’s degrees in Chicano Studies and Social and Behavioral Sciences through Palomar College’s Rising Scholars program led by Nora Kenney-whitley.
I was inspired to dive further into my education. The acceptance letter from the University of San Diego marked a new chapter in my life. Torero Urban Scholars, a program dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap between incarceration and education, made my transition to USD seamless. Torero Urban Scholars has cultivated a supportive community that understands the unique challenges that inhibit my demographic and has played a pivotal role in challenging the negative stereotypes of individuals like myself. Its goal is equal opportunity to justice-impacted individuals’ pursuing higher education at the university level. Programs like Torero Urban Scholars empower justiceimpacted students to rewrite their story regardless of their past. Torero Urban Scholars has not only provided guidance and moral support but has also created a supportive community that values the resilience of formerly incarcerated individuals like me.
My future aspirations include working with and guiding not only at-risk youth but adults in their transition back into society after serving time. I want to help provide the adequate resources that we all deserve in the pursuit of higher education. The power of education and the transformative change that it can have on an individual is unmatched and I believe that I am a prime example of this. Thanks to programs like Torero Urban Scholars and Rising Scholars at Palomar Community College, not only are they making a positive impact in the lives of previously incarcerated people but are opening new doors and mindsets to a new form of rehabilitation in which individuals can change their lives in a positive way.