Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Valadez.
Hi Joseph, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Never let your past define who you are today.
To get where I am now has taken a long journey. For more than 40 years, I once spent my life engulfed in my addiction. I couldn’t stop putting a needle in my arms. I was in and out of juvenile facilities from the age of 11 and throughout my adolescence. At 18, after I’d graduated from high school, I was offered the option to join the military or go to prison. I spent four years in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged. Even so, I immediately resumed my previous behavior after being released from jail. Throughout the following 30 years, I found myself in and out of prison. Gangs and prisons were the only life I knew. I started my journey in recovery over 11 years ago, and almost ten years ago, I began my educational journey. I started at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, and 3 ½ years later, I transferred to California State University Long Beach in 2018. I graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. While at California State University Long Beach, I got involved in Project Rebound, a program that recruits and supports formerly incarcerated students looking to advance their education at CSULB.
During my last two years in undergrad, I made straight A’s and the President’s Honor List the final two semesters. I also qualified for the Dean’s List because I finished with a 3.67 GPA. On May 17th, 2023, I graduated with my Master of Social Work, MSW, from CSULB. My last two semesters in the program, I made straight A’s again and this time I finished with a 3.75 GPA.
After graduating, I started my employment with an organization that works with system-impacted adolescents, formerly incarcerated young adults, and older adults. This is my dream job: to give back to the community that I had robbed for so many years. I really do have a life beyond my comprehension.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Because I’m in recovery, I’ve had to deal with life drug-free. My little brother passed away right before covid of an overdose of heroin. I’ve been separated from my wife for over seven years because of her active addiction. The passing of my father while I was attending the master’s program. The passing of numerous childhood friends as a result of medical issues attributed to their active addiction or overdoses, to name a few. Yet, I stayed the course.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work for a non-profit organization in Santa Ana called Project Kinship, whose mission is to provide support and training to lives impacted by incarceration, gangs, and violence through hope, healing, and transformation. Our mission statement says it all.
My job at Project Kinship is that of a clinician or therapist. Because of the population that we serve, I bring my life experiences to the table. There are very few male clinicians with my background or life experiences that are helping my community. I’m like one in 5oo, maybe more. That is what set me apart from others.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
The first time that I got to go to a kids’ camp for two weeks.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: joseph.valadez399
- Facebook: joseph.valadez399
Image Credits
Miguel De La Rosa
