Join us for our Embraced:Fully Monthly Interview Series on Thursday, October 1, 2026 at 6:00 PM (Pacific) on Zoom. Everyone is welcome!
Our special guest will be Curtis J. Jackson, who spent 28 years incarcerated in California and today is a full-time college student starting an apprenticeship as an electrician. Curtis is dedicated to helping young people and people coming home from incarceration see that their past does not have to determine their future.
About Our Guest: Curtis J. Jackson
In Curtis’s words:
My name is Curtis J. Jackson, and my life is a story of transformation, redemption, and purpose. After spending 28 years incarcerated in California, I made a commitment to use my experiences not as a definition of who I was, but as a foundation for who I could become. During that journey, I earned my GED, participated in extensive rehabilitation programming, developed skilled-trade experience, and learned the value of accountability, responsibility, and service.
Today, I am a full-time college student, and I’m starting my apprenticeship as an electrician. I prioritize helping others, especially young people and individuals returning home from incarceration, recognize that their circumstances and past mistakes do not have to determine their future.
My greatest purpose is rooted in my family and in the belief that redemption is demonstrated through action. I want my children and community to see that real change is possible when we take responsibility, develop our abilities, and use our experiences to help others. Through youth mentorship, rehabilitation, workforce development, and entrepreneurship, I am working to create pathways toward opportunity and positive change. I don’t hide from my past; I use it as a source of inspiration and motivation.
My goal is to turn the lessons of my life into something that strengthens my family, empowers young people, and gives others the hope and tools to build a different future.
In This Interview We’ll Explore:
- What 28 years of incarceration taught Curtis about accountability, responsibility, and service, and his commitment to let his past become a foundation rather than a definition.
- Earning his GED and building skilled-trade experience while inside, and how that preparation carries into his life today.
- Starting over as a full-time college student and new electrician apprentice.
- Why he believes “redemption is demonstrated through action,” and what he hopes his children and community will see.
- Helping young people and people coming home believe their past does not have to determine their future, and how families, churches, and Angel Teams can help open real pathways.
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Video Replays
Catch up on past interviews and inspiring stories at Embraced:Fully Videos.
Our Mission
In partnership with others, Embraced:Fully supports incarcerated and returning citizens in their moral and spiritual journey toward successful reentry. Through Angel Team members, we help connect individuals with community, faith, housing, employment, transportation, friendship, and mentorship, building bridges of hope and belonging.
Everyone deserves a community when they come home.
Your gift keeps Angel Teams showing up for people leaving prison — and keeps the Ready for Reentry course reaching learners in more than 880 correctional facilities across 49 states.
On the donation form, choose Embraced Fully in the Fund menu. Gifts are tax-deductible: Embraced:Fully is a fiscally sponsored program of The Principle Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN 43-0816306).
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