Cohort: 3
Where are you from?
Chicago’s South Side.
Why did you decide to apply to NPEP?
I was taught at a young age that the more education I get, the more job opportunities I will have. Now, after 35 years of incarceration, I was able to apply for admission to one of the top 10 universities in the U.S. This is an exciting moment for my family and me because I only have two years and 10 months to serve until my release. But sentence credit can get me out in 17 months.
What does being part of NPEP mean to you?
Being part of NPEP means that I’ll be an ambassador for higher education prison programs. And beyond prison, I will be an advocate—with a degree—for more universities to be a part of such programs. With these programs, individuals in custody will have an opportunity to be educated and return to society to be useful citizens.
What has been your favorite NPEP reading?
Everything that I’ve read in the effective speaking class. My dream goal is to become a motivational speaker. I’ve been speaking within prisons for over 25 years—as well as in our creative writing, Hebrew-Israelite, critical thinking and house of healing classes—but without training. Now, with less than three years to serve, I’m a student in a class that will impart the knowledge I need to be an effective speaker outside of prison.
What is something you would like others to know about you as a student?
That I’m a poet. I had a couple of my writings copyrighted but I no longer write in that style. Now it’s more like spoken word—still verse—but more provocative. I am going to bring forth my biography in poetic expression.