Hassan Hills

Hassan Hills is the president and founder of Youths Left Behind Corp., a nonprofit organization that offers comprehensive mentorship to young people with incarcerated parents, as well as life skills training for those from low-income and underserved communities. Hassan also manages a restaurant and provides job opportunities to returning citizens. The most important thing to him is living his life in a way that shows that every person deserves a second chance, and that with the right support, resources, and opportunities, everyone can become a responsible member of the community, regardless of their past.

At the age of 20, Hassan was sentenced to life without parole for a nonviolent drug offense. He used his time to educate himself to return to society despite not having a release date.

Hassan spent over 20 years in prison. Former President Barack Obama commuted his sentence to 30 years and former President Donald Trump granted his release before leaving office.

Hassan believes that “leadership involves helping others discover a more excellent way of life.”