Unlocking the Promise
Alumnus Victor Rios says that for young men on the street, their hardship is their potential
Alumnus Victor Rios (B.A. ’00, Sociology) would be the first to tell you he was the type of kid who was always in trouble. Arrests, expulsion and affiliation with a violent street gang in Oakland — “I didn’t even think I could make it to my 18th birthday,” Rios told a full auditorium during a 2015 TED Talk. “I had lost faith and hope in the world … and I had nothing to offer because no one had anything to offer me.”
Unlike the majority of his peers, Rios ended up being one of the lucky ones. A high school educator, who was persistent in her efforts to get him to turn his life around, was there the day he broke down after the death of his best friend — shot by a rival gang member.