From a Convict Herself to a Business Finance Expert Giving Back to the Community, Sarah Mazingo Wants to Change the Re-entry Process back into Society for Those Who Have Been Convicted.

A rough start to life does not necessarily lead to a rough ending! For many people, unfortunately, a difficult start to their lives can quickly become a vortex that sucks people in and keeps them ensnared in a difficult situation. However, there are instances where people escape that downward spiral and change their lives entirely. 

This was the case for Sarah Mazingo. Sarah had a very bumpy start to her life and career that consisted of a number of bad events including an abusive relationship, parents undergoing a divorce, and even prison time. There was an obvious path that she was quickly heading towards if she did not change something in her life. 

“As a young teenager I was in a very abusive relationship. My parents had just divorced, and when I finally broke free of my relationship, I turned to drugs for comfort. By the age of 21, I was a pornstar and addicted to prescription pills. At age 24, I got set up by my “best friend” and arrested for the first & only time, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison,” Sarah recounts.

Sarah, however, was not about to fall into the trap of the path that life was taking her. After being released from the Department of Corrections, she vowed to change her life. She immediately went back to school and started studying towards her associates degree and changed her entire life!

“Within a month of being released from DOC, I was enrolled in college for my Associates degree. The year I was graduating with my B.A. in Entrepreneurship, my mom passed away within 3 weeks of her stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. So instead of doing what everyone thought I would do–fail–I applied for the Business Finance Masters degree program at the University of Miami and got in!” Sarah says.

Now, Sarah is working in the credit repair industry with a good friend of hers. She is specifically working to help ex-convicts because, as she details, there are very few support systems for people who are recently exiting the correctional system.

“I know what it was like when I first got out of prison, and how hard it was. No one believes in you and that’s partially the reason recidivism rates are so high. People get out of prison and have no job skills, no life skills, nothing! So I plan on helping them achieve their goals one by one. There aren’t enough re-entry programs in South Florida for ex-cons, so we’ll just have to make some,” Sarah states.

Sarah doesn’t focus on the competition in the world of credit repair because for her, there is none! She is working in a new, one of a kind program that is changing lives for the better.

“As far as I am concerned there is no competition. You can google search all day long for re-entry programs that teach financial literacy to inmates, and there is none! You can look for halfway houses that take ex-felons in once they are released from prison, there are none. So as far as competition goes, there is none!” Sarah exclaims.

Sarah has a number of exciting projects planned for the future, which she details below:

“This year is the year I plan on buying and renting out properties to felons. I keep saying ‘felons’ so much because that’s who needs it the most. I feel as though living through it myself, when you first get out of prison, you have nowhere to go and nothing and that’s a horrible feeling! It’s no wonder why people turn back to the streets for “help!”’

To find out more about Sarah, follow her on instagram here 

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