Tulio Cardozo has been a friend and advisor to me since 2012. I met him through Chris Redlitz, a venture capitalist and founder of The Last Mile. After achieving high levels of success in business, Chris visited the state prison at San Quentin, and after his time there, launched a nonprofit to help people in prison develop skills that would lead to success upon release. I met Chris within days of my transition to a halfway house in San Francisco. When I told him about the work that I wanted to do, he invited me to a corporate event and introduced me to Tulio.
Like me, Tulio had made bad decisions that led him to prison. While serving a lengthy sentence for a conviction related to drugs, he made a commitment to develop skills. Knowing that he would need to earn a living, he thought about careers that interest him and allow him to earn a living.
Prior to going to prison, Tulio had a growing interest in technology. While he served his sentence, few opportunities existed for people to learn about computers. He began ordering books from the library to learn how to code computers. Since he didn't have access to a keyboard, he drew one and trained himself how to use it. He also learned computer languages by writing commands out by hand, and studying the nuances of different coding languages.
From our first conversation, I felt grateful. I had gone to prison before the internet existed, and Tulio helped me learn a great deal. He taught me how to manage the website that Carole had built and maintained for me while I was in prison. Over the years, I learned a lot about technology, and launched many websites with his assistance.
In developing lessons, I frequently cite Tulio's story, using it to show others that, regardless of what bad decisions a person has made in the past, at any time, a person can learn new skills that translate into income opportunities. Today, Tulio is an IT consultant to the Last Mile and other organizations. He works with our nonprofit daily, helping us use technology to open new opportunities in criminal justice reform.
I am grateful to Tulio for the time he invests in carrying out our mission at Prison Professors. I've personally benefited from his mentoring and friendship.
