More than 40 members of the Cal State LA community participated in the 15th Annual Homeboy 5K Run/Walk and Community Festival in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, Sept. 21.

For the first time, Cal State LA fielded a team in support of event sponsor Homeboy Industries, which has provided training and support to former gang members and previously incarcerated people for more than 30 years.

Homeboy Industries “gives people a second chance at redemption, just like Cal State LA gives people a chance to better themselves,” said J.T. Chestnut, a Cal State LA graduate student majoring in public administration. “The presence here of people from Cal State LA is fantastic. We are representing students, faculty, and staff, but we are also part of the larger community, which is the city of Los Angeles. We want people to know ‘We Are L.A.’”

Chestnut, who also works in the university’s Guardian Scholars Program as an outreach and retention specialist, was the top finisher for Team Cal State LA. He and his Golden Eagles teammates joined about 5,000 other race participants.

Hugo Arredondo, a student who had previously been incarcerated, appreciated Cal State LA’s involvement to a cause he fully supports.

“I’m involved because it’s a healthy event,” said Arredondo, a sociology major with a minor in psychology. “Also, I support the relationship between Homeboy Industries and formally incarcerated individuals who are involved with positive change. It makes me feel great to see so many people here from Cal State LA. It’s not just one department, it shows that Cal State LA is much more versatile.”

Homeboy Industries was founded in 1988 to serve former gang members in East Los Angeles and has since served as inspiration to 250 organizations around the world, including in Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.