Jacob was only seven years old when his mother drove him to a gang meeting. His older siblings were already affiliated. There was no defining moment, just a quiet understanding that this was his path too.
In many neighborhoods across Los Angeles, gang culture isn’t something young people choose. It is something they inherit. For Latino youth in particular, it can feel like a family tradition. Passed down through generations, it often becomes the only source of identity, protection, and belonging when support systems are lacking.
By middle school, Jacob had already seen more than most kids his age. When he joined Becoming a Man (BAM) at Bunche Middle School, something shifted. BAM didn’t try to fix him. It offered him space to reflect. For the first time, he was asked who he wanted to become, not who he had been told to be. That question opened the door to a life-changing decision.
With encouragement from his BAM counselor, Jesus, Jacob chose to leave the gang. He got jumped out. The consequences were immediate. “I don’t have any friends anymore,” he told Jesus.
“Everyone I knew was from the gang.”
Jacob was left completely alone. No one at home encouraged him to go to school. Still, he rode the train across the city everyday. Many times, he showed up only for BAM. It was the one space where he felt seen, valued, and emotionally safe.
Where gang life once gave him brotherhood, BAM offered something stronger. He found trust, accountability, and a place where healing could begin. Healing, however, does not happen in a day.
Jacob still carried the weight of fear. The risk of retaliation lingered. He felt unsure of where he belonged. Jesus and the school principal noticed this, and they stepped in. Together, they created a modified school schedule so Jacob could move through the building safely and stay engaged in his education.
That support made a difference. Jacob began to attend more regularly. He joined the basketball stat crew to feel connected again. He started to believe there was a place for him outside of the life he was raised in.
Then came a setback. Jacob was involved in a physical altercation and was expelled. He is now waiting on a district hearing to determine whether he can return to Bunche Middle School. He doesn’t want to start over, but he does want to continue his journey with BAM.
Jacob’s story is still unfolding. When a young person has spent a lifetime being shaped by survival, those instincts do not disappear in a year. It takes time to unlearn. It takes consistent support, and people who refuse to walk away when things get hard. The fact that Jacob is still showing up, still asking to be in BAM, and still wanting something different says everything about his potential.
BAM exists for young men like Jacob. For those who may not have had stable mentors, emotional safety, or space to reflect, BAM offers that structure. It helps build the foundation for a different future, one decision at a time.
Jacob is still young. His story can still be shaped by the presence of positive adults and environments that believe in him. We will continue to show up, continue to advocate, and continue to be in his corner as he finds his way forward because building brighter futures for students comes with rainy days too.