Judge Andrew Valdez
Third District Juvenile Court
"No One Makes It Alone"
February 7th, 2008

Listen to the lecture

If you’ve ever been in the courtroom of Juvenile Court Judge Valdez, you’ve likely heard him address a young defendant with the words, “We have to find a mentor for you.” No One Makes It Alone is the true story of how a poor, fatherless, west-side Latino paperboy was plucked off a cold, wintery street corner by an Anglo businessman who mentors and fathers him. Nearly forty years later, Judge Andrew A. Valdez, returns the favor when he finds Keller on the street, alone and destitute, a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. No One Makes It Alone comes full circle and offers hope to each of us. No matter who we are, what color our skin, what side of the tracks we call home or what our country of origin, there are far more similarities than differences between us.