Frank (Pancho) Alejandrez was born in 1965 in Fresno to a family of migrant farm workers. Frank is a formerly incarcerated person who spent a total of thirty-one years of his adult life incarcerated. He mastered drawing with the pen during the twenty-two years he spent in the (S.H.U) Security Housing Unit at Pelican Bay State Prison. Frank has always had a passion for art and helping his community and family. He is an artist in residence and community advisor at the Institute for the Arts and Sciences, helping to bring awareness about the carceral system and the power of education to a wide range of audiences.