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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico man sentenced to 10 years in jail now owns and runs his personal enterprise. He’s sharing the story of how he turned his life round.
Thomas Joseph Baca – often known as TJ – owns Sir Men’s Salon LLC in Albuquerque – however his street to success wasn’t at all times a clean one. He grew up in California, however when he stored getting in bother as a teen, his household moved to New Mexico. He explains, “My mother and father thought it was a good suggestion to carry me again to our pure roots, which is Albuquerque, the place they’re from.”
However Baca stored breaking the regulation and paid the value for it. “Simply actually caught up with the unsuitable crowd being part of the unsuitable crowd. That led me right into a 10-year jail sentence.”
Baca doesn’t run from his previous – he embraces it. “All of that is public file. I used to be charged with aggravated battery, armed theft, and kidnapping. , I did some, some dealing of medication out right here, weed and all the things. I went into the division of corrections and did 1,827 days of that – 10 years, which is, I consider, 5 years, eight months,” he stated.
Baca’s time in jail was lengthy and sophisticated, however on the finish of his sentence, he spent quite a lot of time doing what he was good at – slicing hair. He shared, “They created a particular job for me known as workers barber that was exterior of the jail in Santa Fe.
Baca says when he received out of jail, he didn’t know easy methods to begin his profession. “I knew that I used to be superb at slicing hair. I had no clue that that might be a career or that was even price any worth of cash.”
Somebody instructed him concerning the state’s Department of Vocational Rehab – or DVR. It’s a state and federally-funded program to assist folks with disabilities discover employment.
Baca shares, “Popping out of jail is a incapacity whether or not you want to have a look at it that we’re not, and it’s not the tip of the world. It’s truly the start of a contemporary begin. So with that being stated, DVR if you happen to got here out of jail it’s a incapacity, you’ll qualify for DVR.”
Baca graduated from this system in 2020, which helped him go to highschool and get his barber’s license. “I noticed what was round me. Jail truly honed my dedication even at a extra superior stage. So I simply stated, you realize what, I’m going to open up a store.”
Now, Baca runs a profitable barber store. However he’s doing extra than simply slicing hair. He’s encouraging others in bother with the regulation to hunt assist from packages like DVR to seek out their very own path to a greater life. “I don’t need them to scrub and waste their life away. I need them to know that their life is price extra and that there’s extra on the market and that you just your self might be the very best individual you might be for your self,” Baca stated.
There are greater than 20 DVR areas all through the state. You can find more information on all locations online.
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