Portraits of a New Beginning: Miguel Quinteros

«Someone told me: ‘You know you can change your life, but you have to open your eyes — you have to want to.’ And from there, I started to believe that you can.»

Miguel Quinteros grew up in a violent environment, surrounded by gangs and drugs in South Los Angeles. He struggled with addiction. “Everything I did was my fault. I could have made better choices, but I wanted to play with my friends,” he says. During his 18 years in prison, he received from various organizations. “In prison, if you don’t want to work, they don’t make you; but if you don’t, you don’t get over it,” he says. But seeing the example of others who had changed opened his eyes. “I changed my life from the inside so I could be a better person out here,” he confesses. When he was released, his wife, two daughters and the promise of a new life were waiting for him. Finding a job was difficult because of his criminal record. Now, as an employment specialist with the organization Friends Outside, he helps others get back to work and inspires others to keep going. “I tell them to be patient,” he says, because frustration can make them want to do something illegal. “I tell them to have a short-term goal, a long-term goal and goals in between so they feel a sense of pride when they reach each goal,” he says.

^{* The testimonies in "Portraits of a New Beginning" were collected and edited by Ana María Carrano, María Gabriela Méndez, Olivia Liendo and Tamoa Calzadilla, under the coordination of Olivia Liendo and Ana María Carrano.}

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