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 Males’s Salon LLC in Albuquerque – however his highway to success wasn’t at all times a easy one. He grew up in California, however when he stored getting in hassle 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 legislation and paid the value for it. “Simply actually caught up with the improper crowd being part of the improper 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. You recognize, I did some, some dealing of medicine out right here, weed and every thing. I went into the Division of Corrections and, and did 1827 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 a whole 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 outdoors of the jail in Santa Fe.
Baca says when he obtained out of jail, he didn’t know methods to begin his profession. “I knew that I used to be superb at slicing hair. I had no clue that that will be a occupation or that was even price any worth of cash.”
Somebody advised him concerning the state’s Division 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 take a look at it that we’re not, and it’s not the top of the world. It’s really the start of a recent 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 really honed my dedication even at a extra superior degree. 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 hassle with the legislation 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 grasp that their life is price extra and that there’s extra on the market and that you simply your self will be the perfect individual you will be for your self,” Baca stated.
There are greater than 20 DVR places all through the state. Yow will discover extra data on all places on-line.
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 Males’s Salon LLC in Albuquerque – however his highway to success wasn’t at all times a easy one. He grew up in California, however when he stored getting in hassle 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 legislation and paid the value for it. “Simply actually caught up with the improper crowd being part of the improper 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. You recognize, I did some, some dealing of medicine out right here, weed and every thing. I went into the Division of Corrections and, and did 1827 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 a whole 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 outdoors of the jail in Santa Fe.
Baca says when he obtained out of jail, he didn’t know methods to begin his profession. “I knew that I used to be superb at slicing hair. I had no clue that that will be a occupation or that was even price any worth of cash.”
Somebody advised him concerning the state’s Division 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 take a look at it that we’re not, and it’s not the top of the world. It’s really the start of a recent 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 really honed my dedication even at a extra superior degree. 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 hassle with the legislation 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 grasp that their life is price extra and that there’s extra on the market and that you simply your self will be the perfect individual you will be for your self,” Baca stated.
There are greater than 20 DVR places all through the state. Yow will discover extra data on all places on-line.
