THE STORY BEHIND OPERATION BREAK FREE

MEET THE FOUNDER

Pedroza is a leader forged in adversity. Raised in East San Jose, struggle, instability, and systemic barriers weren’t distant concepts—they were daily realities. Violence, addiction, and generational cycles of poverty weren’t statistics; they were the air he breathed. The world had labeled him before he even had a chance to define himself.

But he refused the script written for him.

Instead of letting the world dictate his future, he used his struggles as fuel to break generational cycles and build a path forward—not just for himself, but for others.

ALEXANDER PEDROZA FOUNDER OF OBF

  • Growing Up in the Shadows

    I grew up in East San Jose, a neighborhood where survival was the priority, not success. At home, money was always tight, stress was constant, and some nights felt like walking through a minefield—one wrong step, and everything could explode. But it wasn’t just at home.

    We lived in a small apartment complex filled with families doing their best to make it through each day. But our community was under attack. Poverty kept people trapped, addiction took hold of those we loved, and violence and instability tore through our homes like a storm no one could stop. The tension wasn’t just something you felt—it was something you adapted to, like second nature. We weren’t just struggling to make ends meet; we were stuck in cycles that felt impossible to break.

    If you've ever felt trapped by circumstances beyond your control—this story is yours too.

  • Labeled Before I Could Speak

    School wasn’t an escape; it was another battlefield. I was labeled early as a “problem kid,” the "troublemaker" who acted out, who couldn’t keep up. Teachers and systems wrote me off without ever asking why I struggled. Truth was, I played dumb, defiant, the class clown—because it felt safer than admitting I was trying my hardest and still failing. It protected my pride, kept some control.

    If you’ve ever been misunderstood, labeled, or judged unfairly—this struggle is yours too.

  • Finding Light in Dark Places

    A few teachers saw beyond my mask. They stayed after school, sacrificing their free time, teaching me what I’d missed. They didn’t judge; they just helped. I went from barely knowing how to write an essay in junior year, to earning a full-ride scholarship to UC Berkeley. It was the first time someone saw potential in me instead of problems.

    If you've ever needed someone to believe in you—this hope is yours too.

  • When Everything Came Crashing Down

    Just when I thought I had finally broken free, my life was turned upside down by a false accusation during my freshman year at Berkeley. Overnight, I went from promising student to public enemy. The same systems that judged me in childhood did so again, painting me as a villain, isolating me from friends, family, and even myself. The trauma nearly broke me—I contemplated ending my own life, believing I truly was the monster they described.

    If you've ever been defined by your lowest moment—this pain is yours too.

  • The Choice to Fight Back

    At my lowest point, someone reminded me of my siblings watching me—what message would it send if I quit now? I chose life and joined the Marine Corps at age 20. I sought the hardest path possible—Recon Marine training. I needed to rebuild myself from scratch. I endured physical and mental pain beyond imagination, failing repeatedly until finally, on my third attempt, I earned my place. Those failures became my greatest lessons.

    If you've ever faced failure and kept pushing—this resilience is yours too.

  • Turning Struggle into Purpose

    Eventually, my achievements felt empty if they weren’t serving others. Seeing people close to me fight silent battles with mental health, incarceration, and hopelessness—struggles too many in my community know firsthand—I knew I had to do something different.I decided my story couldn’t just be about me anymore; it had to help others break free. It was time to turn my pain, experience, and formal training into something transformative.

    If you've ever felt compelled to break cycles—not just survive them—this calling is yours too.

  • Operation Break Free is Born

    Operation Break Free isn’t just a program—it’s a community, a movement built from personal pain and resilience, combined with evidence-based strategies I've learned through my degrees and training. Our approach helps individuals rewrite their stories, turn adversity into leadership, and find the strength buried within their struggle.

    If you've ever wondered if your pain has purpose—this community is yours too.

  • You Are Not Alone

    Today, I’m honored to lead a community of survivors turned warriors, victims turned leaders, and overlooked individuals becoming changemakers. Every person here has faced adversity and chosen to forge a new identity—one built on strength, not labels. My program isn’t just theory—it’s tested, proven, and built by people who’ve been where you are and have made it to the other side.

    If you're searching for a place where your story matters—this is your home.

  • Your Story Isn’t Over

    Everything is possible with the right resources and supportive people who've lived similar struggles. You’re not here by accident. You’re here because part of you knows that surviving isn’t enough—you deserve to thrive. Operation Break Free is that path forward.

    Welcome to our community. Welcome to a better life. We’re in this together.

REDEFINING LEADERSHIP THROUGH EDUCATION

For Pedroza, education wasn’t about credentials—it was about understanding systems, human resilience, and the psychology behind leadership.

  • De Anza College – Studied business management and psychology, exploring the roots of leadership and human behavior.

  • UC Berkeley (B.A. in Social Welfare) – Focused on systemic barriers, trauma, and empowerment-based interventions, challenging conventional definitions of support and leadership.

  • Western Governors University (M.S. in Management & Leadership) – Specialized in organizational strategy and systems change, learning how to build impactful, high-performance teams.

  • UC Berkeley (M.S.W. in progress) – Merging leadership development with social work to create scalable, empowerment-based interventions for people overlooked by traditional systems.

Education wasn’t the goal—it was the weapon. A tool not just for personal success, but for dismantling outdated systems and forging new paths for leadership.

BECOMING A WARRIOR

While education shaped his strategic thinking, the military tested his resilience, discipline, and ability to lead under pressure.

At 17, Pedroza was awarded a full-ride Marine Corps scholarship through UC Berkeley’s Naval ROTC program. But life had other plans. Instead of following the path to becoming a commissioned officer, he chose a different path—one that would push him even further.

The Journey to Recon Marine

Pedroza thought he knew what struggle was. He had grown up in a world where hardship was a daily reality. But nothing could have prepared him for the punishment that came with earning the title of Recon Marine.

Of those who join the Marine Corps with aspirations to become a Recon Marine, 80% of them don’t make it. Recon training is designed to break Marines, separate the weak, and forge some of the the Marine Corps’ most elite warriors.

From day one of the pipeline, Recon candidates are thrown into the deep end, literally. The water becomes their proving ground, and failure means gasping for air while instructors circle like sharks. Endless miles while carrying 50 to 130-pound rucks with sand and sweat fusing into their skin. Sleep deprivation turns the simplest of tasks into mind-breaking endurance tests. And when exhaustion peaks, the real tests are only just beginning.

Pedroza endured some of the most grueling selection courses in the military including: the Marine Recon Training pipeline, Sniper School, Combatant Dive School, Airborne School, and SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training.

And through it all, failure followed Pedroza. Three times he attempted, and three times he faced setbacks. But resilience isn’t about never falling.

On his third attempt, he proved that those who refuse to break are the ones who rise. He earned the coveted Recon Marine title.

But even after conquering one of the most brutal pipelines in the world, something was missing.

FROM SURVIVING TO LEADING

For years, Pedroza believed success meant escape—leaving his past behind. But each personal victory only made one truth clearer: His community was still trapped in the cycles of adversity he had fought to escape.

Then it hit him.

He wasn’t meant to escape.
He was meant to break free—and bring others with him.

That realization became Operation Break Free—a movement designed to transform survivors into leaders that refuse to be defined by their past, their struggles, their mistakes, and their circumstances.

He saw the flaws in traditional systems:
❌ Social services were reactive, not proactive.
❌ Leadership was reserved for the privileged.
❌ Those who had survived the most were often overlooked as leaders.

So, he built something different:
✔ A community where resilience is power.
✔ A system where adversity fuels leadership.
✔ A space where people don’t just survive—they rise.

BUILDING LEADERS FROM SURVIVORs

Pedroza is now fully dedicated to empowering individuals who have faced struggle to reclaim their stories, forge identities as a leader, and create change.

Through Operation Break Free, he is:
✔ Building a space where those who’ve been counted out, underestimated, and overlooked can rise together.
✔ Creating an ecosystem where leadership isn’t about seeking approval by the system—it’s about resilience.
✔ Proving that change doesn’t come from waiting—it comes from breaking free.

Because the world doesn’t need more followers.

It needs warriors who refuse to accept the status quo.

Pedroza isn’t just leading a movement.

He’s leading a revolution.