Tenacity is a steady, deliberate, strength that keeps moving forward when the path ahead is difficult. It’s a focus that doesn’t waver, and a drive that keeps working the problem instead of backing away from it.
Lionel embodies that kind of tenacity.
After spending nearly 26 years in prison, he returned home in August 2025 and has been a steady force ever since. He got a job, bought a car, and moved into his own apartment while working toward his dream of becoming a truck driver. But the path has been anything but linear. He knew he wanted a career in trucking, and earning a commercial driver’s license meant passing several exams. The driving skills test took him multiple tries, but he never gave up.
“I always wanted to drive, I love driving, but I struggled with that test,” he said. “It was hard backing up a 53-foot trailer into a tight spot. That was my biggest struggle, but I didn’t give up. And I’m glad I didn’t. I’m good at it now. There’s nothing like getting paid for something you love doing.”
At the end of May, Lionel landed a job driving a cement truck for Angelle Materials, a concrete supplier in Baton Rouge.
“He has a get-up-and-go attitude and is very dependable,” said Bert Jordan, Lionel’s supervisor at Angelle Material. “This is a very demanding job that’s hard and there’s lot of turnover. But he’s eager to learn. He’s quiet with a willingness to learn. And he just soaks it all in.”
Lionel grew up as the youngest of six in Baton Rouge — three boys and three girls. He was attentive and quiet, even as a child, often choosing the calm of the outdoors over the noise of video games. He loved learning in school, especially science and social studies.
“I was always eager and observant but quiet, always shy but my childhood was fun,” he said. “When my brothers were playing Nintendo, I was outside, and I loved sports. I played basketball and football.”
He is especially close with his twin brother, Dionel, who has always encouraged him to face life’s challenges, and with his older brother, who is wheelchair‑bound after being severely injured in a car accident at 25. His father died when Lionel was 17, and his mother passed away four years ago while he was still in prison. He remains close with his brothers and sisters in the greater Baton Rouge area, and he visits his mother’s grave often, knowing she would be proud of the man he is today.
Lionel doesn’t shy away from his past, but he doesn’t dwell on it either. He made a wrong decision as a teenager, an isolated incident that changed everything. But he also changed himself during his time in prison.
“Prison was a learning experience. You can learn from good things and bad things,” he said. “Although it was bad that I was there, I was able to learn and transition into the man I am today. And I learned to be there for others. Everyone needs someone to talk to and someone to listen to them. I was that person. I listened and I learned that we all go through some things in life as humans. And I learned to make better decisions.”
Over the past year, Lionel has been steadily building his future, saving money, and learning to navigate the world again. Despite spending more than two decades in prison, he said technology wasn’t his biggest challenge when he came home, opening up to people was. Parole Project helped him with that.
“They treated me like family,” he said. He learned to speak up, to trust people outside his siblings, and to be himself, joking around with staff and feeling comfortable enough to let his guard down. He’s excited about his future and is proud of his success.
“Success is continuing to be yourself and be at peace. It’s taking on responsibilities and not avoiding them. I know that when you give up, you’re not giving yourself a chance,” he said. “I deserve a chance with everything that life has to offer. If I gave up, I wouldn’t be successful in the rest of my life.”
