Taking Initiative, being Accountable And Using Education to Make Positive Life Changes
Mac works at Pioneer Industries’ as an aerospace tech specialist in our aerospace manufacturing plants. He expanded his skill set by cross-training to learn to operate 90% of the machines on the plant’s floor including the punch press, machines that sheer metal and the water jets. He also has worked on commercial airplane hatch doors and gator strips, and can assist when needed in the part marking, and shipping and receiving departments. Mac now knows that an education broadens your mind and gives you more options.
YOUTH
In his youth, Mac got into a lot of trouble and was running with a wild crowd. He spent time rotating in and out of juvenile hall and school. At one point, he was arrested at his high school for having marijuana on him and that was the end of his time in public school.
After Mac was out of juvenile detention and needed work, his sister, who worked at Pioneer Industries, suggested that he apply for an entry-level position. Mac applied and was hired, however, his past was still haunting him. Mac shared, “My personal life was still on the fence. I was still hanging with the wrong crowd and was starting to go back down the path that was so familiar.”
Eventually, Mac reached a point where he knew he was getting into serious trouble so he put in his two-week resignation and left Pioneer. “I knew I was in trouble but I could not stop myself. Nothing is easy in life, but I had to learn firsthand that I am accountable for my actions,” Mac said.
Mac was arrested as an adult and sentenced to 10 years in state prison. At first, his behavior in prison was not good. He commented, “I was constantly sent to the hole (solitary confinement) during my first two years in Walla Walla prison. Let’s just say, my behavior was not improving and I was not making good choices in prison either.”
EDUCATION CREATES POSITIVE CHANGE
One day, a friend of a Pioneer Industries’ employee in prison confronted Mac. “He asked me WHY I wasn’t doing anything productive like going to school in prison or engaging in cultural programs that were being offered. He basically asked me if I wanted to have my life become a dead-end in prison and that woke me up,” stated Mac. He added, “I shifted my mindset and started to look to the future.”
After really thinking about it, Mac enrolled in a school program in prison and finally got his GED as he had never graduated from high school. “I realized that I liked school and focused on what I was learning. The teacher hired me on to work as his assistant and I tutored other GED students in math,” said Mac.
In time, his teacher wrote a recommendation and Mac was transferred to Coyote Ridge Corrections Center at a lower custody level. He enrolled in the college program where he received his Associates Degree of Art with a focus in Business Management. Mac realized that building his education behind bars was a great use of his time, so he enrolled in more college programs and received his Bachelor degree in Communications and completed a carpentry program.
When Mac was released after eight years on good behavior, he went to live with his sister for a while. “It was really a wake-up call to see how much time I had lost in prison and how much had changed in eight years. Between the latest iPhones, apps, computers and Netflix, I felt like I landed on a new planet,” Mac shared.
DEVELOPING A NEW MINDSET
In time, Mac again applied at Pioneer Industries (PI) and was eventually hired when there was an opening. “I work in Plant 2 and it has a great work environment. We are a close team that help each other out as most of us have been through the prison system,” Mac stated.
He continued, “I used the same mindset I had in school in prison and have pushed myself to learn as much as possible on the plant floor. The more I know – the more I want to learn. I am very grateful for the second chance I have received at PI.”
Mac is happily married now with children and looking back he realizes that education and maturity have changed his life for the better. He shared, “I am in a good place finally and want to share with others who are releasing from prison that you might have to cut off people you knew and hung out with in your past if they have not changed. Hard choices could be ahead but use your will power when tempted.”
Mac concluded, “There are now many job opportunities for people with felonies so don’t let that hold you back from looking/applying for work. When you are on the job, learn multiple things because you will then be an asset. Don’t give up and never stop learning.”