Apprenticeship Preparation Program

“This is my first achievement since coming out of prison.”

Benny Pena found the Apprenticeship Preparation Program one week after finishing a 30-year prison sentence. “Flintridge was a blessing,” he says, “They helped me begin the process of coming back into society.”

While he was at first unsure of what to expect from the program, the openness of Flintridge instructors put Benny at ease and encouraged him to continue. Participating in the APP encouraged Benny to talk about his past — a topic he previously tried to avoid — and take more pride in the things he’s accomplished. While in prison, Benny earned a Masters’s in Theology and mastered drawing and painting. He hopes to enter the painter’s union and continue to pursue his passion for art.