John Lam is a first-generation transfer/reentry student at the University of California, Berkeley studying political science. He was born and raised in South Sacramento, CA to Vietnamese political refugees. Growing up in an under-resourced and underprivileged neighborhood made it difficult for him to imagine life out of poverty.
At the age of 17 he experienced the school-to-prison pipeline first hand. He found his political consciousness and passion rooted in the story and lives of those who are incarcerated and want to work toward criminal justice reform and create pathways of success for system impacted individuals by creating housing and jobs.
He currently works with the non-profit Asian Prisoner Support Committee in Oakland, CA helping reentry individuals learn professionalism, financial literacy, job-readiness and networking skills. He also volunteers with another non-profit organization in Southern California called API Rise to provide resources to reentry individuals.
Major(s): Political Science
Minor(s):