ALUMNI NEWS

Mike Gallardo: I’m finally home. I got in last night (03/06/10) at almost midnight Manila time. So far I’ve slept for about 3 hours for the last 36 hours.

A lot of things have happened since January 4th. I spent 2 days at an I.C.E. detention in Sacramento. Then they released me after verifying my status. Then when I was about to get on the plane to San Diego, I.C.E. picked me up and took me to Tacoma WA. I was detained and denied bail because they classified me as a flight risk. From there I gave up my status, which they claimed was improperly processed through the Navy anyway. So I volunteered to be removed on February 11th. The morning of March 5th, I.C.E. Officers drove me to Seattle Airport and gave me travel papers to fly back to the Philippines on my own. After an 11-hour flight to Narita Japan, a 2-hour layover, a 4 1/2-hour flight to Manila, and 3 hours sleep in a quiet hotel room, I am trying to enjoy a breakfast of tropical fruits and real strong Filipino coffee. I’m moving in to the apartment the family is leasing for the next year on Monday.

So after 7 or so years in prison, I’ll be living on my own in a place where I was raised and yet I feel lost. I have a lot of thinking and figuring out to do from today. And I think I’ll slowly achieve this by sitting on the beach for a week or two. I have a lot of things I want to put in writing and I’ll be needing your help.

Please give my regards to the journal crew (Stone, Felix and J-Dub) and to all my fellow inmates and students at San Quentin.

Ronnie Richardson (Paroled 11/04/2009): I am currently enrolled at San Francisco City College, where I take 4 classes: Chemistry, Engineering Technical Drawing, Introduction to Engineering and Technical Mathematics. I also take 6 additional units at San Francisco State University so as you see I am very busy at school. I am attempting 18 units in all. To all the guys who are attending Patten University and want to better their lives I send my best wishes and the advice I have for them all is to work hard at Patten and working hard in school out here becomes second nature.

Steven Hayes: Since leaving San Quentin State Prison on June 19, 2008 I have completed parole and graduated from College! After being released I continued going to school and continued staying focused! Life seemed to go in the right direction once I put forth the effort. A week after graduating and four interviews I landed an entry-level position in the I.T. field. The pay is good and there is room for advancement. If you are thinking of changing your life, EDUCATION is the way to start. All the college credits I completed at Patten University transferred to the college outside. Remember you are in charge of your own Life and what you do impacts not only you, but your loved ones and the society in which we live! Life is Good!