At the new school, they brought his attention to the Learn and Earn program. He was referred to the Youth Opportunity Boyle Heights Tech Center. “The YO offered to help me but only if I was ready to help myself. Little by little, I got more opportunities.

YO’s Learn and Earn program allowed him to go to school and receive a paid internship. “They got me a job at Councilman José Huizar’s office in El Sereno. Since I grew up in that neighborhood, when others were in meetings, I was able to answer questions from the callers.” Although his job at the Councilman’s office has ended, he still volunteers there.

“I became president of my class at Roosevelt. I went from a wanna be thug to president of my class!” He graduated from Roosevelt in November 2006 and now attends East L.A. College, majoring in journalism.

EddeJay has found the technology element of the Boyle Heights Center very helpful too. “I want to be an actor and the Tech Center has lots of equipment to help me. I also use their music studio and we produce films too. They give us cameras and they let us go!”

Not everyone is as lucky as EddeJay. “I come from a low-income family and I grew up around a lot of gangs. I have lots of friends who are now gang members who threw their lives away on drugs.”

Thanks to his mother’s tenaciousness, the Learn and Earn program and his being steered towards the Community Development Department’s Boyle Heights Technology Youth Center, EddeJay is on his way to success!