A way forward

"Education is power. It allowed me to examine the world I'm living in and make decisions that are beneficial for me and my family, and help other people at the same time."

In the late 1990s, Fidel Chagolla '23 found himself incarcerated at El Paso de Robles Boys School, wondering where education could take him. He started small, finishing the high school diploma he'd left behind. Then, in 1998, he began taking college courses through Cuesta College — a decision built on grit and determination — and one that would carry him to a graduate degree from the University of Redlands School of Education and, in 2026, to an expunged criminal record.

“Giving up was never an option for me,” he said. “I would always say, ‘you’re going to have to drag me out because I'm here for the long run.’”

Starting over

Taking college courses inside a juvenile facility looked nothing like a typical classroom. Lockdowns canceled sessions, materials were limited, and support from other students serving time was few and far between.

“There was something with education that I remember thinking, ‘I wanted to do more,’” he said. “At the time, I was working in the kitchen and doing programming in the yard. I wanted to see what college was like.”

Determined, Chagolla kept moving forward, completing additional courses through La Verne University and Feather River College while incarcerated. This work ethic, built on the inside, carried over to his life on the outside — after his release in 2010, Chagolla balanced daytime coursework with night shifts at Amazon.

Eventually, he transferred his accumulated credits to Riverside City College, earned his bachelor’s degree from University of California, Riverside, and enrolled in U of R’s School of Education’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program in 2021, with an emphasis on social justice and advocacy. There, he worked closely with Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning, Brian Charest at the Center for Educational Justice.

“What I saw (and still see) in Fidel is an incredible capacity to persist, even when the odds are stacked against him,” Charest said. “He embodies the kind of tenacity and courage required to build a life while navigating the stigma that comes with being formerly incarcerated. Working alongside Fidel reinforced for me that we need to be more intentional about building pathways to undergraduate and graduate degrees for individuals re-entering society. He demonstrates what can happen when people coming out of prison can see both a way back and a way forward to a better life.”

Redemption and purpose

Chagolla completed his graduate program in 2023 and received a certificate of rehabilitation from the California Governor’s Office. His criminal record was expunged in early 2026.

"Education is power," Chagolla said. "It allowed me to examine the world I'm living in and make decisions that are beneficial for me and my family, and help other people at the same time."

At Redlands, Chagolla found something unexpected — a learning environment that met him where he was. From small classes to accessible professors and mentors like Brian Charest and Jennifer Tilton — U of R provided Chagolla with the tools to navigate barriers most of his classmates never encountered.

Today, Chagolla serves as a field organizer for Riverside All of Us or None and as an Outreach and Project Manager for Starting Over Inc., where he works with re-entry cohorts, teaching job readiness, civic engagement, and the lesson he considers most essential: how to ask for help.

Discover Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Redlands.