2022 Fellow Focus: Chris Santillan + Unlocked Labs
Coder, founder, champion for correctional education reform…2022 Fellow Chris Santillan of Unlocked Labs shares more about his #RuthlessForGood journey.
What propelled you into the entrepreneurial space? And what do you enjoy most about being a founder?
After being inspired by one of my mentors in prison that my innate potential is not dependent upon my external environment, I found that access to the educational resources necessary to fulfill that potential was simply unavailable. So with my co-founder, Jessica Hicklin, we decided to claim agency over our own rehabilitation, learning how to code without access to the internet and eventually creating the learning management system specially tailored for prison environments that we originally wished we had available to us.
What do you enjoy most about being a founder?
The thing I most enjoy about being a founder is the opportunity to give back to those individuals--Justice Involved and otherwise--who didn't give up on me. They are the reason I can claim any success in my life, for they supported me even when I didn't realize I needed or deserved support. Unlocked Labs is my opportunity to provide even a measure of that support to all Justice Involved Individuals. Because we all deserve to be supported. We all are worthy of the opportunity to realize our potential and become our fullest selves.
What is one piece of advice that has been the most impactful to your journey as an entrepreneur so far?
No individual is bigger than the mission; no mission is bigger than the individuals it intends to serve.
Tell us about an experience you had as an entrepreneur or in starting your company that exemplified one of Camelback's core values: "Belief in Mission + Vision"; "Unafraid of Failure"; "Constant Learner"; "Humble + Hungry"; and "Give First."
When I first gained access to a desktop computer in prison, one of the correctional officers supervising me mentioned to my supervising manager, "Chris is a smart guy--watch him," implying that any Justice Involved Individual with intelligence would use opportunity for illicit gain. I just wanted to learn. And learn I did, not just about technology, but about how impossible the system made it for people like me to educate themselves. So I learned what it takes to facilitate learning for all incarcerated individuals, helping to create a learning platform with my co-founder, Jessica Hicklin. Because regardless of what others think of us, we just want to learn and be valued. We want to grow into the fullness of ourselves.
I hope somehow, that CO is still watching...because he'll be surprised to see what happens next.
As a social innovator, what legacy do you hope to leave behind for future generations?
I hope that my story serves as an inspiration for those still incarcerated (both physically and psychologically). Potential doesn't disappear when you walk through prison walls. People don't lose the capacity to change, to feel, to grow. Ultimately, my hope is that my story and my co-founder's story is no longer the exception, but the norm.
What's your favorite book or podcast that you draw entrepreneurial inspiration from?
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
The ability to look through another's eyes and see the world as they see it. It is a superpower every human inherently has, but few actually use. But our numbers are growing.
Anything else you want to share about yourself and/or your Camelback Fellowship journey?
I just want to express how grateful I am to be included in a room with so many powerful, compassionate human beings. It has already been humbling, inspiring and embracing all at once. We all are necessary parts of the whole. We all are deserving. We all are here.
You can learn more about ➡ Chris Santillan of Unlocked Labs.
Get to know more of the 2022 Camelback Fellows👇🏽