From his vantage point, Alexander soaks up the morning sunlight as it casts light over the mountains, etched by busy freeways that carve the landscape along the Grapevine. Some mornings, fog rolls in, and other days, fresh snowfall blankets the roads, waiting for his Caltrans team to clear the way. He breathes it all in—the crisp air, hard-earned stability, and a sense of purpose. This is his life now.
Not long ago, Alexander’s world looked very different. For over two decades, his path was marked by substance use, periods of incarceration, and short-lived, unfulfilling jobs that never led anywhere. He worked in various industries—always searching for something that stuck, but the cycle of instability pulled him astray, time and time again.
With many bridges burned in his personal life, he decided to leave behind the life he knew in Ohio for a new start in California. But with no support network, no job prospects, and no income, he immediately found himself without a roof over his head.
“I became instantly homeless when I arrived in California, and that was the first time I’ve been truly homeless…with no friends, nowhere to stay, like actually on the street.”
After a four-year prison sentence, Alexander decided it was time to forge a new path. He walked through the doors at Chrysalis, uncertain but determined, and was met with something he hadn’t felt in years: hope.
At Chrysalis, Alexander was quickly referred to a transitional job with the freeway maintenance division of our employment social enterprise, Chrysalis Roads, working 40 hours a week. It was tough, but so was he. And he quickly discovered that he enjoyed the challenging nature of the job and the unique day-to-day responsibilities.
“You just reach a point where you turn a corner and you’re just done with the backsliding and the starting over.”
Alexander’s work ethic didn’t go unnoticed. He was given more responsibility, took on a leadership role, and eventually became a Chrysalis Roads supervisor, leading one of the most successful crews. But Alexander didn’t stop there.
As a participant in the SECTOR program, he earned his Class A commercial driver’s license at no cost, opening doors to career paths he never thought possible. Building on his three-year career at Chrysalis, he applied to Caltrans and went on to accept his current role as an Equipment Operator II.
“I have a solid career path. If I want, I can take all different kinds of directions. I’m making enough money to provide for the family pay rent, put food on the table, gas in the vehicle, and even set money aside for my daughter’s future. That’s truly a blessing.”
Now, Alexander doesn’t just clear the roads—he paves the way forward, for himself and for others. His work keeps communities safe, from snow-covered highways to roadways littered with debris. He is an essential worker, a leader, a man who has reclaimed his future.
Today, Alexander celebrates having a fulfilling, stable career. His family, once distant and disapproving, now celebrate the man he has become. And now, building a family of his own, he and his wife recently secured their own place just in time for the birth of their daughter.
For Alexander, it started with a choice to change. And that choice led him to a place where he has built a career, a family, and a life worth waking up for.