From Incarceration to Oxford: Robert's Story

My name is Robert Villanueva el/he/him/they. I'm a student and or a CORE scholar at Pasadena City College. I'm a father, a recovering addict, a formerly incarcerated and non-traditional student from Santa Paula. My transformation started in or about May 23, 2018. I had to confront the brutal truth of my past: addiction had consumed me, leaving a trail of wreckage in its wake. I spent most of my life trapped in the cycle of drugs and incarceration, a prison both literal and metaphorical. After being exposed to college and treatment for the first time, I went back to prison, a bitter reminder of how deep the struggle ran. But that wasn’t the end of my story—it was just the beginning.

I was eventually released from federal custody and sent to one of the top treatment institutions in Southern California—IMPACT Treatment Programs in Pasadena. It was here that I began to peel back the layers of who I really was and start the painful, but necessary, process of rebuilding myself.

This journey doesn’t come with a Ph.D. in "Robert Villanueva." It's not a degree or a certificate to hang on the wall; it’s a lifelong process. Every day is a lesson, a struggle, a victory—one day at a time. The real education isn’t confined to a classroom or a textbook. It’s in the raw, unfiltered experiences we face with the world, with others, and most importantly, with ourselves.

Now, I have an opportunity to study abroad at Oxford, and this moment is a reflection of the sweat, tears, and relentless commitment I’ve poured into reclaiming my life. This is not just an academic achievement—it's the culmination of a battle fought, and won, one lesson at a time. This Oxford opportunity serves as motivation for people in a similar unrepresesented background as mine that change is possible. It emphasizes the power of community, education, and sobriety-recovery.