For Cal State Fullerton alumnus Rick Jones, his journey to finding his calling in life took a long, but not uncommon path. Now equipped with his bachelor’s degree from CSUF, the Titan alum is working with Homeboy Industries to help the youth of Los Angeles find their own paths to success.

Jones grew up in Watts before his family moved to Orange County. He graduated from Cypress High School in 2004, but as a teen father at the time, his focus was on working and providing for his family.

After being in the job market for more than a decade, Jones realized that if he wanted to grow as a professional, he needed to attend college. Coastline Community College’s psychology track allowed him the chance to raise his 0.89 GPA and earn associate degrees in both psychology and sociology. It was through that experience that he discovered his career calling.

“I learned a lot about social work, people, problems and systems,” Jones said. “And I thought, what can I do to give back? I want to help people in ways that I wish I had been helped while I was struggling to figure out how to be a dad and find balance.”

In 2020, Jones earned acceptance and a scholarship to attend CSUF’s Human Services Department within the College of Health and Human Development. Once on campus, his counselor, Janette Hyder, connected him with Male Success Initiative-Fullerton, a mentoring and academic support network that addresses the “underrepresentation of undergraduate men of color in higher education.” His involvement with MSI-Fullerton, along with Hyder’s support, was instrumental in helping him achieve his academic and career goals.

“I was doing a lot of imposter syndrome, like I didn’t belong, and I wasn’t good enough,” Jones said. “MSI helped me overcome that by introducing me to like-minded individuals and reaffirming that I earned my spot here.”

When Jones graduated from CSUF in May 2022 with his bachelor’s degree in human services, he was able to see the gravity of the legacy he was leaving for his three young children, modeling opportunities he never had growing up.

“My daughter asked to wear my graduation cap, and then my son asked to wear my regalia, and they’re racing each other and saying, ‘I’m going to graduate before you. I’m going to be a doctor before you,’ ” Jones said. “I’m doing all this work and studying, and they’re watching me. Now for them, that’s part of their game plan for life. It made me really happy and proud.”

While attending CSUF, Jones worked as a youth mentor and tutor for Orange County Probation – Juvenile Hall. There he saw firsthand how a child’s environment can directly affect their choices and trajectory.

“These kids just need love,” Jones said. “You take a kid who’s out running the streets and committing crimes and you put him in a different community with a different set of influencers around him, he’s an all-star baseball player with straight A’s.”

After seeing the same kids return again and again, Jones decided he needed to be in a place that got him between the kids and the institution and allowed him to create opportunities and provide guidance that would prevent them from ending up incarcerated in the first place. That’s how he got connected with Homeboy Industries.

Established by Father Gregory Boyle in 1988, Homeboy Industries says it is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program. More than 10,000 former gang members come through the LA-based organization each year, where they are supported through a holistic approach that includes tattoo removal, parenting classes, employment programs and other social services. Initially brought on as a youth mentor, Jones was recently elevated to his current role as major gift officer where he helps to secure funds and strategize ways to best serve this community.

“We find ways to say ‘yes’ to people,” Jones said. “A lot of times, we’re the last off-ramp before something really bad happens to them. So, we hold them in kinship and kindness, we support them, and we take them just as they are.”

His time at CSUF, along with Hyder’s support, modeled for Jones what it looks like to see success, and he now returns to speak at MSI-Fullerton events, giving back as was given to him.

“She (Hyder) and MSI helped me solidify that I can persevere through it all,” Jones said. “So now I’m going to reach back for the next Titans coming through.”

Jones is currently pursuing a master’s degree in social work at USC, and he is committed to showing others that regardless of their past choices, it is OK to dream.

“I’m just a kid from Watts, making it past 18,” Jones said. “Whatever I can do to help the next person’s journey be a little bit easier, and show them unconditional love, that’s what I’m about now.”

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