From Inmate to Scholarship Winner

Victor Moreno, a stellar student at UCLA from Compton, said the first steps to a successful career path began the moment a steel gate locked him in a jail cell six years ago. It was the first day of his seven-month sentence for selling cocaine, steroids and marijuana.

It was also the first day he began shaping a mission to devote his life to helping those who, like himself at one time, have lost hope.

“I can never change the past, nor do I want to, for it is who I am today,” Moreno said Monday. “I know now from my experiences that I want to help others so they never follow the same path.”

Moreno, 28, pursued his goals by attending Mt. San Antonio College and UCLA, where he is a senior with a 3.6 grade point average. He has been a counselor to substance abusers, the developmentally disabled and autistic children at local and campus organizations.

For his achievements, Moreno was one of 10 students in Los Angeles County recognized at the East Los Angeles Community Union 13th Annual Scholarship Awards Dinner. Moreno, who was honored with the Cesar Chavez Memorial Leadership Award, will receive a $2,500 scholarship, which he plans to put toward college tuition.

“Before prison I had selfish goals of being rich and owning material possessions,” Moreno said. “My goals now are to obtain a PhD in clinical psychology and use my education to help children in the community that lack motivation and guidance.”