Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Elizabeth Quiroz . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Elizabeth, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

A risk I have taken despite my fears is going for my master’s degree in Social Justice and Human Rights at Arizona State University. Coming from a background of unspeakable trauma and horrific abuse, I truly believed with every fiber of my being that I was going to die a prostitute, a drug dealer and a dope fiend. So for me to be in the master’s program with a mindset of growth, imagination, elevation and expansion, is truly a MIRACLE. When I enrolled in to the master’s program, I was taking a risk because of all of the odds that was stacked against me due to my past. But because of my relationship with God and mentors that supported me on my healing journey, I took this risk by the horns and applied!!!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Elizabeth Quiroz. I am an overcomer of human trafficking, addiction, a broken foster care system, and incarceration. As a child, I endured so much physical abuse that I was placed in foster care. My family consists of gang members, alcoholics, and drug addicts. I ran away from everything at age 15 and into the arms of my trafficker. My first trafficker introduced me to meth, and my family supplied him with the drugs. My second trafficker was a woman, and I had trust in her. My third trafficker supplied me with drugs, and I was his runner. I was addicted to meth and trafficked for almost twelve years in San Francisco. Throughout the years, I went in and out of Valley State Prison and various correctional facilities. When I lost my son and was arrested for the final time, I was 26 years old. Due to the horrifying abuse, I endured for so many years, I had grown numb. That day brought me to life. God rescued me. He truly turns all situations around for our good and His glory.

When I first arrived in Sonoma County, I was in shackles and had just been sentenced to five years behind bars. I had to say goodbye to my street family and the Elizabeth I used to know. I have been clean for 10 years now, and I walked across the stage in May of 2021 to receive my Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with Distinction. I am now pursuing a master’s degree in Social Justice and Human Rights at Arizona State University and I will be graduating in May of 2023. In December of 2020, after fighting for my son for nine long years after losing him due to my last arrest, I finally gained full custody of him. God truly restores and heals families.

I am one of the co-founders of Redemption House of The Bay Area. A local non-profit based out of Sonoma County. Currently, I am working with my team to develop this non-profit organization that will assist victims of human trafficking by giving them a secure haven to recover and heal from their traumatic past.

I just published my new memoir, “Purified in the Flame,” and this book is about my testimony and how I was able to break from and overcome the effects of human trafficking, addiction, incarceration and a broken foster care system. If God can use my pain for purpose, turn my mess into a message, turn my trauma into triumph, then there is hope for the lost and the broken.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I want to share a piece of my journey while at Santa Rosa Junior College where different organizations were helping me behind the scenes: I was working as a busser at The Flamingo restaurant while taking classes at SRJC. I applied for different jobs several times but was always turned down because of my criminal record. Working as a busser, I understood it was a temporary position, and my life’s purpose was much bigger, so I looked into other options. I wanted to give up so many times, but my mentors wouldn’t let me. I didn’t have a supportive family growing up, so when I went to office hours feeling defeated, my mentors would welcome me by checking in with me and allowing me to vent, and as a result, I felt a sense of family. Because they believed in me, I decided to stand up and fight to get my criminal record expunged. After years of advocating for myself, I was finally able to have my record expunged. It didn’t stop there. With the help of multiple organizations and my mentors, such as writing character reference letters on my behalf, I was able to move forward in the process of obtaining an Unconditional Governor’s Pardon from Governor Jerry Brown, and guess what? I GOT IT!! Today, my criminal record has been erased, and I have a successful career working as a social worker investigator that allows me to utilize my life experiences and education!! Because this obstacle has been removed from my path, I am now able to live up to my full potential and impact lives all around the Bay Area with my story of victory. This is a true definition of resiliency.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

In 2018, me and my partner met after a presentation I presented on human trafficking awareness for a class at the Santa Rosa Junior College. My partner was sitting in the front row, and she was very affected by my experiences of addiction, arrests, incarceration and human trafficking. After class, we spoke and overtime, we bonded over our shared experiences and struggles and formed Redemption House of the Bay Area, which is a non-profit in Sonoma County devoted to helping women escape human trafficking.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://redemptionhouseofthebayarea.org/
• Instagram: quirozelizabeth2015
• Facebook: Mico Elizabeth Quiroz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-quiroz-259b48148
• Youtube: https://www1.cbn.com/full-pardon-above
• Other: https://www.amazon.com/Purified-Flame-Elizabeth-Quiroz/dp/1737254859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YMGXGYRFZPJO&keywords=elizabeth+quiroz&qid=1671834544&sprefix=elizabeth+quiroz%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-1