Persistence and Learning in the Face of Adversity

Juan Castillo escaped the Civil War in El Salvador and fled to the U.S. in search of freedom. He was barely a teenager when he arrived and soon fell into the wrong crowd. After being accused and convicted of a murder he denies having committed, he’s been striving to make a life in prison for the last 26 years. Now, as ICE is trying to deport him, he’s fighting to not only find freedom again, but remain in the only country he knows.

Juan tells the story of how he transformed his life, became a religious guide for fellow prisoners and detainees, and relied on art and literature to reach beyond the bars that confine him.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.