SRQ Magazine | 35 Under 35 Honorees | Carlos Portillo

CARLOS PORTILLO

JUVENILE JUSTICE DIRECTOR, YOUTH FOR CHRIST

35 Under 35 Honoree - December 2022

Share a recent achievement for which you are the most proud.

I have made a partnership with the School District of Manatee County to initiate mentor groups at four local high schools. We currently send 14 mentors to our schools to mentor over 60 students who are at risk of dropout, expulsion, and falling into the school to prison pipeline. After receiving over 75 referrals from the Department of Juvenile Justice for mentoring and probation assistance, we just created a new life coaching group for system-involved youth in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Our program will teach students how to make goals, understandfinancial literacy, identify mental health cues, and learn basic life skills.

Share with us a current topic or trend that you are concerned about at the local level?

I’m concerned about high drop-out rates of students. Working with many principals, I have noticed that many youth in our area are either failing school or not showing up to school. Many feel so far behind that they don’t believe they are capable of graduating. Statistics show that students who don’t get a high school diploma or the equivalent face a higher risk of being funneled into the school to prison pipeline. High levels of recidivism are also very concerning to me. I am currently on the Advisory Board of the local Juvenile Detention Center. I work directly with students there once a week. After volunteering at the center for six months I noticed many youth repeat offenders, some returning after only a couple weeks. After speaking to them, the recidivism trends are glaring: children lacking a supporting home, not having trusted adults, and gang affiliation (often due to the lack of healthy family bonds).

What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?

Four years ago, my friend and I were talking about wanting to go to New Zealand. We went to check out how expensive plane tickets were and found some tickets that were extremely cheap. Without hesitation, or research we purchased them immediately. We planned for the trip to be a road trip/backpacking trip through the mountains. What we didn’t realize was the month we booked it for was the heart of their winter (opposite side of the equator and most southern city). Needless to say, it created some fun stories and intense encounters, like being stuck in a blizzard, high up on the side of a mountain or being stranded on the side of the road in a snowbank.

What is your guilty pleasure?

I will always make an excuse to eat ice cream. Currently my guilty pleasure is ice cream in a churro bowl at Tide Tables or the classic vanilla scoop over a warm brownie.