- Six years ago, my next guest was a teen,
when police accused him of a crime he didn't commit.
Fortunately, the charges were dropped,
but that moment had a profound impact.
Now after lots of hard work, he's headed to law school.
And not just any law school,
he's going to Harvard Law School.
We have Harold zooming in, to share his incredible story.
Hey, what's up, Harold?
How you doing?
- How you doing?
- I'm doing so well!
Well, okay Harold, can you tell us
a little bit about your story, how you grew up?
- Yeah, no problem.
So, I grew up in South Stockland,
which is the more impoverished side of my city,
in a public housing neighborhood
called Conway Homes, in Southwest Stockland.
As a kid, I was a fairly good student.
I did pretty well in my classes.
I got in a little bit trouble, here and there,
but for the most part I was pretty good, a good student,
until around middle school and high school.
I didn't have the terminology,
or the language to describe it,
but, now I'm looking back,
I think I was just going through a lot of trauma.
It was my first time experiencing, some of my friends
were getting killed, due to gun violence.
Some were being incarcerated for a long period of times.
And I think at the time, I didn't really know
how to cope with that.
So, maybe it turned out, acting out for attention,
or just a lot of hurt and pain.
- Yeah.
- Up to the point, where I was actually arrested myself.
I was accused of a robbery,
in San Francisco, that I did not commit.
And I was in Juvenile Hall for a short amount of time.
Actually, I don't consider myself formerly incarcerated,
because I wasn't incarcerated for a long time,
but that experience, for sure, had a lasting effect on me.
I got to see just how easy your freedom could be taken away.
And it didn't matter if I was innocent,
to be honest with you.
It mattered about, what type of access I had,
what type of representation I had.
And that was the first time I really seen the power of law.
Fortunately, though, I was released.
I was afforded a second chance,
that is very rare for young black men, like myself.
And I was able, I had no charges on my record.
I was on formal probation for a year,
but for the most part, I was able to reintegrate
back into society, which is a rarity.
And I started, so I was going back to school.
I took it a lot more serious.
I took AP classes, even to the local community college.
I kind of really got my thing back together, I guess.
- Yeah, I mean, I imagine,
everything you said, that changes you.
And you say, you know, you're now in the position
you are, because you had help, right?
- For sure.
And I think, I just want to make it clear.
This isn't, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps story.
I was able to to have a lot of resources
and access to privileges, that usually aren't afforded
to people like myself, who are from where I am.
I think the talent and the intellect is universal,
but the resources that are needed to cultivate that,
just aren't available as vastly as they should be.
I guess, I went to community college.
I was on track for UCLA.
And being in that environment,
just really gave me a whole, it changed my trajectory,
of what life, of what success is, and what that means.
- That opportunity did.
And you're right, that's not afforded to everyone.
It's not a given for everyone.
So, you're right, that opportunity is the one thing
that really helped you kind of get there.
And I love that you pointed that out.
Tell me about the people, that maybe made an impact on you,
that kind of got you where you're at right now.
- I think, one of my biggest inspirations,
was kind of, not what you say a typical inspiration is.
The same year I was incarcerated, one of my close friends,
Keith, was arrested and charged as an adult,
for a shooting that he didn't commit, as well.
And then, the sad part is, that because of our circumstances
my life could have easily been his,
but the real tragedy is, if you had the second chance
that I did, had the resources, I had,
his life could have been mine,
he could have been going to Harvard Law School.
At the same time, I decided what law school I wanted to go,
Keith actually just pled no contest to a manslaughter charge
that come with a 16 year sentence.
And people like Keith remind me, who and why
I'm going to law school for,
and then try to provide as much adequate representation
as I can, for people who really can't afford it.
- One of your mentors,
I hear is the Mayor of Stockton, your hometown.
Can you tell us about him?
- Yeah, so Mayor Tubbs, he was, he's funny.
It was funny working for him, because when I first started,
he was just elected, he was the first black Mayor.
He was only 26. - Wow!
I was about 20 at the time, so it was kind of weird.
I remember, my first week he hopped in my car
and my music came on,
and I didn't expect him to know the music.
But when he did, I was like,
"Man, it's kind of weird, that I listen to the same music,
as the mayor of my city."
But I think that's a testament to how on the ground he is
and I think that helps him be a better leader.
But yeah, Tubbs has been a great help,
very hands on, as far as mentorship.
I don't know a lot of black men
who went to elite institutions,
like a UCLA, or Stanford, or Harvard.
I mean, he even wrote my letter of recommendations
for law school, so he would, yeah, for sure been a big help.
- What are you seeing for your future, now?
I mean this is amazing.
Like, you're going to Harvard Law School.
That's insane!
- Yeah, to be honest with you, it varies by day.
Some days, it's like, I can't believe it.
And somedays, it reminds me of the responsibility
that I have, to give back to the people
and community like my own.
And my future, long term, I want to get involved
in impact litigation, kind of represent face cases,
to try to change laws to litigation.
- Yeah, I love you, man, you're so...
It's, here's the thing, it doesn't matter
what school you're going to, it's expensive.
But, I can only imagine that Harvard Law School
is super expensive!
So, Harold, we do have some good news.
We were all very inspired by you,
and so we teamed up with Digit,
a super easy smart app, that helps you save money.
Pay down debt faster and also reach
your financial goals, automatically.
So, we know Harvard Law School isn't cheap.
But, what you're doing is so important,
especially now, more than ever, honestly.
So, to help you manage your student loans
and set you up for financial success,
they're giving you $15,000 to help.
Is that sound all right?
- Wow!
Thank you so much, I appreciate it.
That will go a long way, I appreciate it, thank you.
- Hi, Mayor!
It's nice to meet you!
- Nice to meet you, Kelly, hello.
- Mayor Tubbs, when did you first meet Harold?
- I first met Harold, I think three years ago.
I was at a conference, speaking in Sacramento
and Harold brought some kids with him
and he told me he was from South Stockton
and my ears perked up.
And I said, "Well, what are you doing?"
He mentioned he was in community college,
transferring to UCLA.
I said, "Do you want to intern for me?"
And then the rest has been history.
- What does it mean, for someone like Harold,
to attend Harvard Law?
- It means a lot.
I think for Harold and his family,
it just changes the whole trajectory,
as to what his kid's will see
and be exposed to in the world they grow up in.
But, I think it also means a lot for Harvard,
to have someone like Harold, who has the intellect,
the intelligence, the grades and the test scores,
but also the lived experience,
also the experience of being a young black man
and on the south side of a city that has had challenges.
Someone who has friends who are still incarcerated,
someone who goes visit his friends
and puts money on their books, to this day.
To have him in conversations about the law
and how it impacts people, I think just makes
everyone's educational experience that much better.
- So, Mayor Tubbs, what is your city doing
to make sure more young black people like Harold succeed?
- Yeah, it's been, as a young black man,
one of my passions has been, to really upset the setup
and to kind of change the structural conditions
for young people in Stockton, including young black people.
So, we have a program called Stockton Scholars,
where for the next 10 years, every single kid who graduates
from our largest school district,
is guaranteed a scholarship to go to a four year school,
a two year school, or a trade school.
When obviously-- - That's incredible!
- Thank you, thank you.
And I'm really serious about creating opportunity for people
because you realize, Harold is exemplary and amazing,
but there's other amazing talented folks in my community
and we just understand that talent and intellect
are universal, but opportunities are not.
In saying that, government can't do everything.
But how can we do the most with what we have,
to make sure that Harold's story is not unique,
but becomes a story for every kid in Stockton,
who's smart and talented and works hard
and actually has opportunity and mentors
to help them begin to reach their potential?
- And you're right, I mean, all those things were amazing.
Well done, first of all.
And you're right, in the sense too,
of like, education is so key.
It doesn't matter what part of the world you're from,
if you are educated, that is opportunity.
And Harold, I mean, God, you know,
the fact that you might stand out now,
I mean, is there anything you want to say to Mayor Tubbs?
That's really cool.
He took a chance on somebody didn't know, you know?
- I just really want to show my gratitude
and like, make sure that you know that your investment
will come in with great annuity.
I think, the thing about paying it forward,
is like, when you help me out,
you don't only help me, you help my future clients.
You help the young men and women
that I come in contact with.
It's like a tree that keeps spreading.
So, I really do appreciate you, taking a risk on me
and taking the chance to kind of bring me in.
Not only as an employer, but also as a friend and a mentor.
I appreciate you.
- Wow. - Yes.
Well and while this all goodness has happened,
all these good vibes.
Before the break, you know, Harold, you got $15,000
from our friends at Digit,
because they were so impressed by you.
- Really?
- But guess what?
We're also impressed, so I am going to round that up
and throw in another $10,000.
So, that's gonna be $25,000, to help kind of set you up.
It's expensive, college.
So, we just want you to not have that huge,
you know, debt is such a huge thing for--
- Wow!
- And adults that are still paying off their debt
for college, by the way.
So, you know, we just wanted to be able to help you
a little bit, as much as we can.
So we hope it does, all right?
- It does, for sure.
Thank you so much.
- Yes!
Well, thank you so much Harold.
And thank you so much Mayor Tubbs,
for all the work you're doing, not just with Harold,
but within your community
and really being like, a beacon of change.
That's really, really important, more so now than ever.
Harold, I cannot wait to see
just what great things you accomplish next.
You change those laws.
You make them fair for everyone, all right?
- Yes, Ma'am.