An ex-felon charged with murder, gang involvement, and gun charges who got a pardon from California governor Gavin Newsom spoke at an event at LBCC on Sept. 12.
Mir Aminy, a former gang member and convict, is now the director of Project Rebound, a resource program at Cal State Fullerton.
The program, available in nine of the 23 California State Universities, focuses on providing formerly incarcerated students with a higher education and tools to reintegrate back into society.
The program aims to shut down mass incarceration while providing community strength and safety.
Project Rebound and programs like it have reduced the chances of repeat offenses, with the rate dropping to between 13.7% and 5.6%, depending on what type of degree the individual seeks.
The likelihood of going back to jail for students with their masters is “zero,” according to Aminy.
“Give people a chance and opportunity to prosper and they will do amazing things,” Aminy said.
Aminy was diagnosed with polio when he was five years old and was paralyzed from the waist down.
Born in Afghanistan, Aminy’s family immigrated to New York during the Soviet invasion and later settled in California when he was a teenager.
Shortly after graduating high school, Aminy became involved with a street gang in Southern California.
His life would dramatically change after he was stabbed nine times by rival gang members.
As an act of retaliation, Aminy carried out a drive-by shooting, which injured one of his three intended targets.
Aminy initially faced 67 years in prison for attempted murder, gun charges, and participation in organized criminal gang activity, and after taking a plea bargain he was sentenced to 18 years in April 1998.
“I would dream about the day that I got out,” Aminy said. “If I am going to get out, I gotta change my life.”
Aminy was ultimately released from prison after serving 16 years of his sentence.
Upon his release, Aminy was visited by federal agents from the Immigration and Customs Department, also known as ICE, who told him he was going to be deported to Afghanistan.
“You’re not going home today,” Aminy recalled one of the agents telling him.
Aminy remembered feeling anxious and hopeless as he sat in his cell waiting to be deported.
“Cases like this can take up to five years to fight,”Aminy said.
Aminy was not deported to Afghanistan because they could not find a record of his birth.
Although ICE agents tried to deport him to another country, they declined to expedite him due to his criminal history.
President of Jw1 Company Joshua Williams, left, sits with Christina Barrios, LBCC’s Intern director of EOPS, CARE, and DREAM and Cal State Fullerton’s Project Rebound director Mir Aminy in the Building B on Sept. 12. (Tenoa Stewart)
Aminy‘s dreams of being a free man became reality.
After his release, Aminy enrolled in school in order to take full advantage of his educational opportunities.
However, he struggled to adjust to life outside of prison.
“I had imposter syndrome. I had a hard time on campus because I felt I was being someone that I wasn’t,” said Aminy.
Despite feeling out of place, Aminy found like-minded individuals to connect with on campus.
“Mir and I went to the same grad school program, and yes, anytime I asked him for help he was available,” said Joshua Williams, CEO and senior consultant of Jw1, a resource company similar to Project Rebound. “I didn’t know my way around campus so he helped me with that.”
Williams and Aminy also bonded through their shared experiences growing up around gang violence.
“We both were able to come out of gang infestation and so we relate in that way too,” Williams said.
Aminy became involved in volunteer work during his time at school as a way to become an asset to his community rather than a liability.
He volunteered at homeless shelters, got multiple jobs on campus, and even joined the program before becoming the director of, Project Rebound.
However, the biggest challenge for Aminy to overcome was asking for help and taking on everything by himself.
In neighborhoods where Aminy grew up, asking for help was for weaklings, and from a young age many people had a distrust for authority.
Many formerly incarcerated students play multiple roles in society, such as parenting and working on top of going to school.
“We become masters at juggling,” Aminy said.
Aminy looked to the community for support, stayed involved with college activities, and was ultimately able to lead students in the direction of success.
Aminy continues to face his challenges head on with a quote of hope and inspiration.
”Remember when you wanted what you have now? Don’t forget that,” Aminy said.
On Jan. 13, 2022, Aminy was granted a pardon from California governor Gavin Newsom for his volunteer work and positive influence on his community.
“I dreamed of the day I would get out of jail and be a free man. I dreamed of the day I would be given the opportunity to change in the community and be in a position to help others,” Aminy said, “Now that I am, I always have to remember that, because sometimes it does get hard, sometimes it does get rough, but as long as I don’t forget, I know that I’ll be okay.”
In his current position of housing coordinator and director of Project Rebound, Aminy is able to provide resources and advice to students who are struggling with the same issues he once faced in the past.
“I always tell students to remain consistent. You have to really follow through, make sure you balance everything out because there are people like us who are still chipping away after that degree, which we don’t always have the luxuries as others do,” Aminy said.
Aminy has been an inspiration to those struggling to reintegrate back into society with the ultimate goal of seeking a higher education, no matter how elusive it may be.
LBCC alumnus and intern director of EOPS, CalWORKs, CARE, and Dream Services Christina Barrios, spoke at another event alongside Aminy and Williams.
“Mir’s story inspired me because my father was also an ex gang member and disabled too. My father also turned his life around as well, so seeing similar stories has been a big motivator for me,” Barrios said.
Barrios explained that a community leader can come from anywhere, no matter what challenges they have faced in the past.
“It’s been this stigmatized to see quote on quote what real leadership looks like. I have my struggles, but being able to work through them and building rapport with students which most of us come from the same challenges,” Barrios said.
Aminy is currently pursuing his Ph.D in disability studies at Chapman University after receiving his Masters in counseling from Cal State Long Beach. Aminy also has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Cal State Fullerton.