The article highlights the transformative impact of higher education on incarcerated individuals. It emphasizes the importance of education in breaking cycles of recidivism and helping inmates gain skills for future success. The author shares personal experiences of speaking at prison commencements and the profound acknowledgment from inmates about their past mistakes. Education provides them with moral and academic legitimacy, enabling a positive change in their lives. The author’s own educational journey, supported by dedicated teachers, illustrates the critical role education plays in overcoming adversity and fostering hope for a better future.
I have spoken at these commencements with incarcerated men and women who acknowledge the awful choices or stupid mistakes they made, yet emerge renewed through higher education.
Through college coursework, they are able to reflect on their past, develop a clearer vision for their future and gain the skills to contribute to their families and communities.
I believe so deeply in the transformative power of education because teachers saved my life.
If not for Allan Osterweil, my teacher in fourth, fifth and sixth grade, I would be in prison or dead.
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