Hector Escobedo: His own life experiences
guide youth

by Laura Salinger

    In a society where prisons often receive more dollars than schools, it is prisons that too often end up with our one-time troubled youth. It’s almost as if we have
stamped some youth with “doomed to fail” tattoos. But Hector Escobedo knows there is another way, and he is one of Madison’s champions in guiding young and
old towards a new and better path. It was education that led Escobedo on the road to redemption and it is education that Escobedo uses today as a tool to help
others improve their lives.
    Escobedo’s story could have, and if statistics predict the future, should have-ended up much differently. An illegal immigrant as a child and later a member
of a notorious gang, Escobedo was headed down a road that most often ends up in prison or worse. Instead, however, Escobedo is a strong proponent of
education and community service. He works at Omega School in Madison where he helps struggling students obtain their GED or equivalent.
In 1980, Escobedo’s family migrated to the United States from the Mexican border town Piedra Negras. At the time, Escobedo explains, border restrictions were
more lax. He and his brother — who came over to the United States on a two-day permit — never left. The whole family, including Escobedo’s parents and five
siblings, eventually all trickled over the border and joined Escobedo’s grandparents and uncle, who were already established in inner-city Milwaukee. Initially, it
was all excitement for the young Escobedo.
    “It was really an exciting time,” he said. “We were really excited to go to McDonald’s for the first time.”
    However, the excitement wore off soon and Escobedo’s family had to face numerous struggles. When Escobedo was just 8 years old, his father died and his
mother lapsed into a deep depression soon after. By the age of 12, Escobedo was working to help support his family.
    “I worked in the fields for a summer and worked third shift as a dishwasher by the time I was 12,” he explained. “We had to fend for ourselves.”
    The family would get a little reprieve when Ronald Reagan granted amnesty to some 3 million illegal immigrants in the United States in 1986 with the
Immigration Reform and Control Act. Finally, the family felt they were able to start putting their lives back together again.
    “It was like hitting the lottery,” Escobedo said. “I was so excited on the bus ride to Chicago to get my papers.”
    But struggle would still be a day-to-day reality for Escobedo. At 16, he dropped out of school in order to take care of his younger brother and sister.
Meanwhile, he was becoming more and more involved with one of Milwaukee’s biggest and most notorious gangs and his uncles, who were part of the mafia in
Milwaukee, were not the best role models for a growing youngster.
“      My uncles were in the mafia — that’s what the family business was,” he said. “I got involved in the gang. I felt like I needed to be like them. It all seemed
very romantic at the time.”
    Tragically, Escobedo’s uncle, brother, cousin, and grandfather were all murdered due to gang and mafia violence. Others spent time in jail, as did
Escobedo. But Escobedo fought through it and always sensed there was a different path for him. Despite a tumultuous childhood and adolescence, Escobedo
held on to the lessons he had learned from those wanting more for him.
    “My teachers, my scoutmaster, my priest — all told me to follow my dreams and be proud of my heritage.”
When he was 20, Escobedo returned to school in Milwaukee to obtain his HSED. Tired of the violence in Milwaukee, he moved to Madison when he was 26 and
enrolled at MATC (Madison Area Technical College.) He pursued a Human Services Associate’s degree and, while a student, traveled to New Orleans in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Escobedo, along with some 50 volunteers from MATC, helped gut 10 houses in an effort to rebuild some of what had been lost.
“It was the best experience,” he said of volunteering. “It improved my leadership ability and empathy. No matter what color you are, there are always people who
need our help.”
    Meanwhile, after completing an internship at Centro Hispano, Escobedo went on to intern at Omega School. Today, he is Omega School’s Spanish and
English GED program coordinator.
    Since 1972, Omega school has been serving students who have had difficulty succeeding in a traditional school setting. For many graduates, Omega school
has provided them with a much-needed second chance. The end goal of Omega School is to help students obtain their GED or HSED, but students are
encouraged and counseled to pursue higher education degrees and many go on to pursue studies at MATC, the University of Phoenix, Upper Iowa University
and in the University of Wisconsin System.
    Escobedo feels a personal connection to many of the students that attend Omega School and his message to them is: “the sky’s the limit” and “never, ever
give up on your education.”
    “These students, they come from the darkest parts of society,” he said. “We try to give them a glimpse of light and keep it flickering.”
Escobedo knows first hand how to relate to the struggles of the students he serves. He fought each step of the way to pursue his education in a climate that did
not necessarily encourage this goal.
    “I’ve come along way,” he said. “I’ve climbed several mountains.”
    But Escobedo is not done yet. Aside from volunteering with varying community programs, Escobero plans to continue his work in education and possibly even
business. While he is at somewhat of a crossroads, he will forever carry with him the hope that was once a flicker inside him, but that now shines bright.
    “When I die,” he said. “That’s when I’ll be done.”
Laura Salinger
is a freelance
writer based in
Madison, Wis.