As “Pomp and Circumstance” blared over the loud speakers, Pierre Lewis choked up. At 60 years of age, he had never heard the graduation march played for him before.
But it was for him. For himself and six other Aug. 6 graduates of the PVJOBS Hatch University, a two-week program where re-entry men and women can receive an introduction to post-secondary education; academic guidance; and career opportunities.
“Here I am at 60, when most are ready for retirement, I’m just trying to find my way,” Lewis said.
Lewis first went to prison in 1977 for armed robbery. That was followed with separate sentences in 1983, 1989, 1990, 1994 and 2004.
“I spent close to 30 years in prison,” Lewis said. “I came home June 11th …and this fall I’ll be starting college.”
Lewis and his classmates received tours and student ID cards at West Los Angeles College during the Hatch program.
Lewis recently moved to Los Angeles to begin anew, instead of moving back to his old New York haunts and falling back into old habits.
“It’s do or die at this point in my life,” Lewis said. “I’m not losing my hope.”
While staying at a Hollywood area, residential re-entry center, Lewis was referred to PVJOBS, a 21-year-old nonprofit which operates two consecutive U.S. Department of Labor-funded programs: Hatch, for re-entry adults over 25, and the Right Turn program, which addresses the employment barriers of court-involved youth.
Both programs help reentry individuals attain the in-demand skills they need for career success, including intensive case management; academic coaching; occupational training; career pathway planning; and mentoring.
For Lewis, It’s been quite an adjustment, living outside of prison.
“It’s like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD),” Lewis said. “I’m suspicious of people. I had to get used to people saying ‘good morning!’”
Lewis compiled his anxious thoughts and feelings into a self-published book of poetry, “Belly of the Beast.” He feels that writing is in his blood, as his father is a songwriter, having penned “Heaven Must be Missing an Angel” for the R&B group Tavaris.
After Lewis’ prison release, his father treated him to dinner one night, but even that created some anxiety.
“When I tried to use a fork, it was like trying to ride a camel,” Lewis said, admitting he looked around the restaurant to see if anyone noticed. “I didn’t know how to use it. We use plastic spoons in prison.”
Elder Ashley, 29, graduated from PVJOBS that same day, along with 14 others who participated in PVJOBS’ Construction 101 class, a three-week, pre-apprenticeship training program where graduates earned construction industry-recognized certifications.
“It’s easy to fall back into the negativity,” Ashley admitted during the ceremony. “I had my guard up, everybody had their guard up.”
Years ago, hanging out with his gang resulted in his serving two separate terms for burglary, one in 2010 and the last in 2013.
Now Ashley is looking forward to working in the My Brother’s Keepers Boot Camp in Compton, a program of the Southwest Carpenters Training Fund which starts next month.
Since his foster sister told him about PVJOBS, Ashley said he was determined to turn his life around. He got up at 5 a.m. each morning to travel from his shelter residence in San Pedro to make it on time to the PVJOBS class in South LA.
“It’s been a positive experience,” Ashley said of the program. “They’ve given us a lot of insight on how to get into the unions and they gave us hands-on experience.
“That’s what I really needed, the hands on,” Ashley said. “Show me once and I’ve got it.”
During the Construction 101 program, Ashley’s class built two wooden clothes racks for the organization, which recently received a large donation of dress suits from Men’s Wearhouse.
Matthew Elliott, 23, is a PVJOBS Right Turn program participant who also graduated from Construction 101, but skipped the celebration lunch to catch a ride to the hospital. His girlfriend gave birth to their first child on Aug 7th.
Elliott, a graduate from Victor Valley High School in Victorville, got into a fight and was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He served two weeks in downtown’s twin towers and was given two years probation.
His ultimate goal is to become a firefighter.
“Once I get off probation and get my record expunged,” Elliott said.
“PVJOBS was a great experience, good training.
Elliott was part of the team that helped build the suit racks.
“The hardest part was the cutting,“ he said. “The hands on experience, cause I never worked in the construction field before. Learning the different skills, like cutting with the saw and the different kind of saws.
“It’s a good program and they’re very helpful,” Elliott added.
Before the combined graduation classes posed in their new outfits for their “suited and booted” group picture, Lewis took to the podium and thanked the PVJOBS staff.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the people of PVJOBS for having this event,” he said. “But more importantly, I want to thank the people who greet us every day when we come through these doors and do everything they can to make sure our re-integration back into society is as easy as possible.”
