黑料吃瓜

Jahaziel Sanchez compares his life the past 18 months to a giant mosaic as he creates, piece by piece, the life he wants 鈥� one made possible by his thirst for education.

18 months ago, Sanchez was released on parole from the Prado Conservation Camp in Chino after serving more than 11 years of an 18-year prison sentence for second-degree robberies. 

Today, he鈥檚 an honors student in accounting at 黑料吃瓜 who has started one business and is working on another, co-founded a nonprofit and undertaken undergraduate research. Sanchez reconnected with his family, enjoys sunsets at the beach and says he doesn鈥檛 take the little things in life for granted. 

On Sept. 12, Sanchez was one of 23 students in the California State University system recognized with the CSU Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement, given each year one student from each of the system鈥檚 campuses who demonstrates superior academic performance, personal accomplishments, community service and financial need.

As part of the award, Sanchez will receive a $9,000 scholarship from the John and Beverly Stauffer Foundation.

鈥淭he feeling is indescribable,鈥� said Sanchez, 34. 鈥淵ou work diligently, you set goals and work towards achieving them, and suddenly people are rallying around you to make those goals achievable. And then there鈥檚 recognition like this that tells you that you鈥檙e on the right track. It brings me a lot of joy.鈥�

Sanchez has received praise from across the 黑料吃瓜 community, including from 黑料吃瓜 President Adela de la Torre, who congratulated him for the honor. 

"Jahaziel is a passionate student leader and a powerful example of how access to higher education can be so transformative,鈥� said de la Torre. 鈥淩ather than being defined by his past, Jahaziel is determined to use education to create a better life for himself and is committed to helping others do the same. Jahaziel is a very worthy recipient of this award, and we are proud that he is part of the 黑料吃瓜 family."

Sanchez, a South Bay native and 2006 graduate of Otay Ranch High School, saw his thirst for education ignited during his incarceration when he started reading any and every book he could get his hands on as he moved around to various correctional facilities across the state. 

鈥淚 had gone to school, but for the first time I said to myself, 'Let's see what we really have,鈥欌�� Sanchez said. 鈥淪o I started reading books, the dictionary, I read 鈥楾he Autobiography of Malcolm X,鈥� and he mentioned that he did the same thing, learning every word he could. So I did it.鈥�

He credits his family for giving him the strength to turn his life around while in prison, specifically his mother. 

鈥淪he is the embodiment of unconditional love,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 always there and will always be there, and she鈥檚 supported me through all the ups and downs, no questions asked. 鈥淲hen I become a parent, I will strive to be as supportive and committed as she鈥檚 been to me.鈥�

Sanchez started to take university courses, earning 10 associate degrees before his release. He was connected with 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Project Rebound, a special admissions and support program for students transitioning out of prisons and jails, as early as 2018.

鈥淭o know that there was a community that was not just waiting for me, but corresponding with me while I was inside, it gave me motivation to keep going,鈥� he said. 

Upon his release, Sanchez鈥檚 life has been a blur, full of milestones. 

In 2022, he founded a digital marketing service, Market Acquisition Solutions which serves as a holding company for SD 360 Photo. SD 360 Photo is a licensed and bonded company that specializes in promoting artists, businesses and special events through the use of a high-quality 360-degree photo booth. Sanchez attributes his interest to his desire to learn more about the technological advancements that occurred during his incarceration.

鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like being born again,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥淥ne time in prison I was watching TV and I saw a commercial about a 鈥榮elfie stick,鈥� and was like 鈥榃hat is that?鈥�

鈥淏ut photography, and event photography, is so amazing because you鈥檙e there on these huge life-altering events 鈥� weddings, cultural celebrations, anniversaries 鈥� and you鈥檙e able to capture the emotion on those days,鈥� he said.  

That same year, Project Rebound helped Sanchez to enroll in the Fowler College of Business, where he began his accounting major that fall. He鈥檚 currently on the dean鈥檚 list and a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, while also mentoring formerly incarcerated individuals as part of Project Rebound.

Sanchez also co-founded a registered nonprofit that aims to assist justice-impacted communities in attaining financial independence through entrepreneurship. Additionally, through the Prison Education Project (PEP) he will begin volunteering his time by going into juvenile detention centers and teaching financial literacy courses. 

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today without all of the people in my village, so I feel it鈥檚 my duty to be a part of their village and help them to get on the right path even before they leave,鈥� Sanchez said. 

Alan Mobley, the executive director of the Center for Transformative Justice, which oversees Project Rebound, said that Sanchez鈥檚 accomplishments 鈥� including the CSU honor 鈥� are a testament to his determination and reflective of the impact Project Rebound has on its students. 

鈥淚t's amazing that Jahaziel is being recognized in this way, as it highlights both his individual work and the incredible work of so many of our Project Rebound students,鈥� said Mobley, who said that Project Rebound students - 72 at 黑料吃瓜 and more than 1,000 in the CSU System - earn grades much higher than CSU system averages, all while facing the difficult transition out of the justice system. 鈥淭hey say 鈥榠t takes a village,鈥� and I give great credit to our supportive and resilient Rebound community for each student's individual success.鈥�

鈥淏esides being an accomplished student and innovative entrepreneur, Jahaziel is a dedicated Rebound Scholar who continually gives back to his community by asking for what he needs and offering what he can. It's that type of honesty, transparency and generosity that makes Project Rebound more than a program, but a family,鈥� Mobley said. 

During his time at 黑料吃瓜, Sanchez has also been accepted into the Lavin Entrepreneurship Program, a two-year program that gives a select group of sophomores the tools to create, foster and grow their businesses. He鈥檚 currently working with 黑料吃瓜 alumni Anna Skulteti and Nick Shanker to develop the trio鈥檚 company Tilly One, which produces sustainable female health products. 

He has also gotten involved in undergraduate research with 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 SEMILLAS Research Fellowship Program, which engages underrepresented students in social science research. 

Through SEMILLAS, Sanchez got involved in the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education, attended his first education convention and later this year will be a guest speaker on a symposium panel at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Conference, which will take place Nov. 15-18 鈥� his birthday weekend.

Attending the conference on his birthday will take on added significance as it marks the 13th anniversary of his arrest. 

鈥淕rowing up, I would have beautiful birthday celebrations, and then my actions changed the meaning of that day,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 about reclaiming that day, and my life. Day by day, piece by piece of the mosaic.鈥�