A former aide to President Obama from the Bronx is teaching students how they can reform the criminal justice system at Lehman College Thursday night. 

Elias Alcantara started off as a White House intern and worked his way up to serve as associate director of intergovernmental affairs under the Obama administration.

The students are a part of the Lehman College Advocacy Module, where they are learning how to make change. They're doing this through storytelling, sharing information and planning. 

They said they feel better prepared to get involved in the local community with Elias as their mentor.

At the end of the program, the students will head to Washington, D.C., to meet with policy makers and politicians to learn more about how the government works and how they can get involved.