No Map, No Mentor, No Limits

How the Son of Immigrants Rewrote His Story

Written By: Rick Gibson

Editor-in-Chief: Rick Gibson

Publisher & CEO: Christopher Luna

The road signs were not clearly marked. In fact, they were pointing in another direction. It would be unfair to blame young Juan De La Cruz for taking the well-worn path of sub-par grades and odd jobs with no prospects. When he began working at age 11, he was not surprised that life was difficult and unrewarding because that was the only expectation laid out before him; and there were no mentors to tell him otherwise. 

Poor-paying work made for a sore back and shallow pockets. But that was the way it was in his neighborhood. As the son of immigrant parents, he lacked educational or leadership role models in his household. Family life was chaotic and at times painful. Even if he had a vision of the possibilities of a rewarding career, he would have been ill-equipped by his early schooling to pursue a leadership track. Through high school, his focus was strictly on survival and stability, working multiple jobs while briefly attending community college without a clear direction.

Finally, though, he got his big break. Literally. The turning point was both physically and psychologically life-altering. While working in a factory job, De La Cruz broke his back in a work related accident. This severe injury not only provided time to reflect on the direction of his life, it provided unemployment benefits that gave him the financial resources he needed to fully commit to getting an education.

Continue the story.

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