In 2003, Jason was given a 30-year sentence for nonviolent cannabis as a teenager. Jason quickly realized how distorted his notions of “success” were and decided to do everything possible to make amends to society. Unsure of how to begin, he knew improving his education would be a beneficial step.
During a call with his mother, Jason expressed his new hope, and she sent him a Khan academy transcript she found online. This began a journey that led Jason to being published in over 100 newspapers on education and prison reforms. Upon his release, all the policies Jason argued for from a prison cell were implemented and Illinois’ recidivism rate dropped. In 2017 Jason used Khan Academy’s SAT prep and was accepted into Stanford University, where he met and was able to thank Sal personally for the impact he had on Jason.
Jason is now in 8VC’s build program, working to use technology to give vocational skills to others, and pay forward what Sal has done for him.
