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 – also referred to as TJ – owns Sir Males’s Salon LLC in Albuquerque – however his street to success wasn’t all the time a clean 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 dad and mom 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 mistaken crowd being part of the mistaken 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 report. I used to be charged with aggravated battery, armed theft, and kidnapping. , I did some, some dealing of medication out right here, weed and the whole lot. I went into the division of corrections and did 1,827 days of that – 10 years, which is, I consider, 5 years, eight months,” he stated.
Baca’s time in jail was lengthy and complex, however on the finish of his sentence, he spent quite a lot of time doing what he was good at – chopping 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 received out of jail, he didn’t know the way to begin his profession. “I knew that I used to be superb at chopping hair. I had no clue that that may be a career or that was even price any worth of cash.”
Somebody informed 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 have a look at it that we’re not, and it’s not the tip of the world. It’s really the start of a recent begin. So with that being stated, DVR should you 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 recognize what, I’m going to open up a store.”
Now, Baca runs a profitable barber store. However he’s doing extra than simply chopping hair. He’s encouraging others in hassle with the legislation to hunt assist from applications 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 would like them to know that their life is price extra and that there’s extra on the market and that you simply your self may be the most effective individual you may be for your self,” Baca stated.
There are greater than 20 DVR areas all through the state. You could find extra info on all areas on-line.
