Portraits of a New Beginning: Luis Alejandro Salas

«I have friends who knew me from before, and now they ask me who I am because they didn’t me like this. Even though they see me differently, I am the same man, only better. That’s how I explain to them. They are still surprised.»

“It was a lesson learned,” Luis Alejandro Salas says after spending seven months in jail. During that time, he concentrated on exercising and reading. Upon his release, it was difficult to adapt and show that he could be someone better. “A lot of people don’t get a second chance. That’s why, when I got it, I thought I couldn’t miss it. It’s a blessing,” Luis says. He participated in Bridge Prison Ministry Foundation’s education and personal development programs and now helps others take advantage of it. “I have to give my children the best example, because this life is not for them. I want to teach them something new. ... Education is very important to me.” For Luis, the jail experience was something that had to happen: “I think God locked me up. He knew I was failing, and he didn’t want me to look like that. He locked me up so that I would learn my lesson. It was a blessing.”

^{* The testimonies in "Portraits of a New Beginning" were collected and edited by Ana María Carrano, María Gabriela Méndez, Olivia Liendo and Tamoa Calzadilla, under the coordination of Olivia Liendo and Ana María Carrano.}

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