By all accounts, Nick did everything right.
He graduated college in 2019 with a clear path ahead, hoping to build a life rooted in service, mentoring young people as an educator. He had the right experience and plenty of momentum. But like so many others, his involvement with the criminal legal system altered the trajectory of his life permanently.
A single mistake followed him everywhere. It didn’t matter that he had a degree, experience, and a vision for his future.
That one moment became a barrier nobody could see past.
“I don’t think people realize that even after you serve your time, that’s not where the punishment ends,” Nick says. “The real punishment follows you, into every job application, every background check, every opportunity you’re denied.”
Nick landed what he called “a really cool job” after college, something that aligned with his goals and values. But once the background check came back, that offer was gone.
Just like that.
He pivoted, determined to keep going. He found work with a nonprofit serving youth, the kind of work that was close to his heart. However, doors to stable, full-time employment remained shut. He could volunteer. He could show up. But he couldn’t move forward.
Eventually, things got so difficult that survival became his priority.
“It was so demoralizing and cruel,” Nick reflects. “I went from being college-educated to standing on the street with a sign that said, ‘Need a job.’ It shattered my self-esteem right in the middle of my twenties.”
Nick took on construction jobs just to pay the bills. At one point, he was fired from a seasonal job at Spirit Halloween. Each rejection reinforced the same message: his past mattered more than his potential.
“It felt like everything I had worked for didn’t matter. Like I had let my family down.”
For nearly five years, that one charge dictated his reality.
Nick is clear: accountability matters. But what he experienced wasn’t accountability; it was extended punishment with no end in sight.
“The punishment rarely fits the crime,” he explains. “No one tells you that a minor infraction can follow you for years and keep you from getting a job. If you don’t understand the legal system, the jargon, and the long-term consequences, it’s almost impossible to know what you’re agreeing to.”
Looking back, he reflects on how different things might have been if he had the knowledge he has now.
“If I knew what I know now, then I would have NEVER pled guilty. I would have fought it.”
Instead, Nick and so many others are left navigating a system that continues to penalize long after a sentence is served.
Community kept Nick going: the youth he worked with, his family, his friends. And the belief, however fragile at times, that things were going to get better. He held onto hope that one day he would clear his record and have a chance at a real opportunity
That opportunity came when he stepped into a role doing community outreach, helping others navigate the same barriers he had faced. For the first time, someone looked past his record and saw his value.
That role eventually led him to the work he does today with the Urban League of Seattle as a Community Organizer. In partnership with Civil Survival he helps others vacate their records and rebuild their lives.
“For way too long, it felt like my life was on pause. Like no matter what I did, I couldn’t move forward. Working with Civil Survival, especially with Claire Mauksch, changed that. They didn’t just help me clear my record; they helped me see a future again. Having that weight lifted gave me back a sense of dignity and possibility I hadn’t felt in years. It reminded me that one mistake shouldn’t define your entire life.”
Nick is now considering law school, driven by a desire to use both his education and lived experience to advocate for others.
He’s also clear about what needs to change: policies that reassess which charges disqualify people from employment, opportunities for people to explain the context of their past, increased investment in reentry programs, reductions in legal financial obligations, and a more humane and equitable system overall.
“Everybody deserves access. Everybody deserves opportunity.”
Nick shared that he still thinks about what was lost, “It [being directly impacted] steals your youth. Your prosperity. Your sense of who you were going to be.”
But his story isn’t just about loss. It’s about what happens when someone is finally given a chance to rebuild, to lead, to give back, and to be seen as more than one moment in their life.
“We need a system where people can make mistakes without it following them everywhere. Where people can be redeemed.”
Because when people like Nick are given real opportunities, they don’t just rebuild their own lives, they rebuild the communities around them. And they expand what’s possible for others.
That’s why we keep showing up. That’s why we keep fighting.
Thank you, Nick, for your strength and courage.