The Prisoner Reentry Institute’s (PRI) College Initiative (CI) has helped over 1,400 criminal justice involved men and women enroll in college in hopes of earning a higher education degree. This year 31 CI graduates obtained their associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, one law degree, and one doctorate degree. It was one of the largest graduating classes in the program’s history. To celebrate the achievements of the students, the entire PRI/CI community held a graduation ceremony on June 27. The graduates were surrounded by many of their supporters—their family and friends, their devoted counselors and mentors, and the program’s steadfast stakeholders including: Rossana Rosado, New York Secretary of State; and David Weprin, New York State Assembly Member.

Kicking off the ceremony, Ann Jacobs, Executive Director of PRI, proudly told the audience why the night was so important to her and the entire CI community. “Since 2015, we have been the home of the College Initiative program, which provides support and encouragement to people who seek to transform their lives through education after having been involved in the justice system,” she said. “Tonight we celebrate the students that we have gotten to know over years of working with them, as they pursued their very long, very deliberate journeys that involved considerable personal investment and sacrifice as they sought to combine going to school with all of the other commitments in their lives.”

John Jay President Karol V. Mason continued the evening’s good wishes by congratulating the graduates and their families, and making sure everyone understood just how incredible these students are. “Through their determination and hard work, these students demonstrate the importance and value behind the pathways that the College Initiative creates for individuals with prior criminal justice involvement,” said Mason. “Everyone in this room understands just how much potential our College Initiative students have within them. We know that with training, mentorship, knowledge, and support, the sky is the limit for these talented individuals.”

Mason went on to say that these gifted students are joining our country’s workforce; they’re diversifying public and private sectors; and they’re contributing an essential voice that speaks to their life experiences. “They serve as role models for future generations of young men and women much like themselves.”

Mason then introduced a long-time advocate of the College Initiative program, Assembly Member Weprin. He began by highlighting the trip he made with Mason and Rosado to Otisville Correctional Facility to see PRI’s Prison-to-College Pipeline (P2CP) students, expressing how excited he was to be there, to meet the students, and see the work that has been done to offer college credits in these facilities. Weprin then spoke about his involvement and appreciation of the CI program. “This is the third year that I’ve been speaking at this program. The State Assembly is very supportive of John Jay’s PRI program as well as so many other initiatives that increase and expand educational programming to prisons,” he said, adding how proud he is of the graduates. “You have charged forward exceeding every expectation along the way, earning your college degrees, graduate degrees, and even a doctorate degree, under very challenging circumstances. All the graduates here today should really be proud of themselves.”

He continued by saying, “I’m hoping many of you will go on to other educational opportunities and certainly other careers. Along with your degree, each of you will find a way to change the world in some way. The world welcomes those who strive to better themselves and those who work to make the world a better place. You will continue to be an inspiration to your family, community, and the lives of those you touch.” He then awarded the graduates with official New York State Assembly Citations. “This is saved for distinguished constituents of mine and for distinguished honorees, which I really feel that every graduate from this fantastic program is.”

The evening’s keynote speaker was New York Secretary of State Rossana Rosado. Being a staunch supporter of PRI, a recent graduate of John Jay’s online master’s degree in Criminal Justice, and a proud educator who has taught classes at a number of correctional facilities, including the P2CP program at Otisville, Rosado was understandably touched witnessing the graduation of the CI students. “The main reason that I like teaching in prisons, and visiting them now as Secretary of State, is that I get to meet students there and then welcome them home. It’s one of the highlights of my life,” said Rosado. “Working with my guys—that’s what I call them—gives me a unique perspective on the strength and potential of people who have experienced the worst in our criminal justice system, and yet, they still rise,” said Rosado. She went on to say that she knew the obstacles the students faced while earning their degrees, and that she admired the unique level of determination it required for them to reach that milestone in their lives. “Right now, you are among the one-third of Americans who have college degrees. It is even smaller when we look at those who have been incarcerated, only nine percent of those students earn a college degree or trade school certification. You are all impressive.” Rosado and New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Superintendent Kathleen Gerbing were both awarded PRI’s Leading Across Boundaries award for their invaluable partnership with PRI.

When the Master of Ceremony Carlos Quintana, Director of College Access for the Prisoner Reentry Institute, spoke, it was clear how deeply he felt about the graduates and their journeys. As everyone listened to the quote he read by Naima Penniman, they knew that it was rooted to the programs’ importance. “When Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast, almost everything lost its footing. Houses were detached from their foundations, trees and shrubbery were uprooted, sign posts and vehicles floated down the rivers that became of the streets. But amidst the whipping winds and surging water, the oak tree held its ground,” he read. “How? Instead of digging its roots deep and solitary into the earth, the oak tree grows its roots wide and interlocks with other oak trees in the surrounding area.” As the audience nodded their heads, agreeing with his sentiment, Quintana said, “I see College Initiative when I read this. People connected to each other, supporting each other whether they are active in the community now or not. Many of the graduates tonight started their College Initiative experience years ago, and they are still very much rooted in the program’s community and with those who are coming into the community.”

One of the highlights of the event was when Ronald Day, who began with the program in 2008 and just earned his doctorate degree, spoke to the audience. “In 1993, I was sentenced to 15 to 45 years in prison. At the time I was a ninth-grade dropout. Through sheer luck, I took the GED one day, and six weeks later, I found out I passed. Because I had a GED, I was able to start college immediately after arriving in Sing Sing Correctional Facility,” Day said.

“I was in college when Congress ended the funding for college prison programs. I was discouraged at the time, but I had developed a hunger for education. I reached out to College Initiative after I made my first board in 2007. I was determined to finish my education and I wasn’t sure what would happen, but I knew that deep sacrifices had to be made and that I had to be persistent. To make a really long story short, I left prison with 51 college credits. I finished a bachelor’s degree, then a master’s degree with honors, and I was accepted into two Ph.D. programs. I accepted admission to the CUNY Graduate Center/John Jay program in Criminal Justice in 2012, five years after my release.” Excitedly Day added that, “In December of last year, six-and-a-half years later, I successfully defended my dissertation. And, on May 31, 2019, I received my doctorate.” Day is now a Vice President of Programs for the Fortune Society and teaches Criminal Justice at John Jay College.

We spoke with several graduating students and asked: What does the College Initiative program mean to you?

Jorge Montez ’19 Kingsborough Community College
I’m 55 years old and graduating from Kingsborough Community College, with an associate degree in the Maritime Technology program. The College Initiative program kept me out of trouble because by going to school, you stay focused on things. When I was younger, I couldn’t go to school because I was always in trouble. As you get older, you have a different perspective, so it’s cool to know that there are other people who have walked the same steps that I am walking today. The sad part is that my friends now look at me differently because they aren’t living the lifestyle that I’m living. But, I’m not there anymore. I’m studying and I could very easily lose everything just by being around them. I’d rather be around people who are lifting me up, so that I can lift other people up. I can’t make College Initiative look bad. I can’t make my counselor Jessica look bad. Because I have these connections, now I’m invested. They invested in me with open arms, asking for nothing in return. Graduating is my thank you to them.

Brenneis Nesbitt ’19 John Jay College of Criminal Justice
College Initiative means everything to me because it’s actually the pathway that I took to get into John Jay. When I came home, the first thing that I did was come to the College Initiative program. They did all my applications to get me into John Jay. Today, I’m here with Edgar Acteopan, a high school student who is going to be a senior next year. We met through The Innocence Project, where we were both interns. They saw something in him and thought it would be a great idea for us to connect, and for me to be his mentor. Everybody who is graduating here has some form of criminal justice involvement and Edgar has had his brush with the law. He is on a different path right now. He is on the straight path and I’m going to do my part to make sure he stays there, and set a proper example that he can follow.  

Gail Lockhart ’19 Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work
I just got a Master in Social Work in Clinical Studies from Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work. From the time you walk in the door, you are surrounded with people that are in it to win it. The staff at College Initiative is amazing. They walk you through the process, and as someone who is older, I’m not familiar with all the computerized things. They take all of that anxiety out of you. They have made this entire process so easy, that I had no choice but to continue my education. That’s the thing about College Initiative that I’m in love with, each one of those young ladies that I came into contact with was exemplary in this process, and I’m so grateful for them.