Cohort: 1
Where are you from?
Chicago.
What is your favorite field of study/topic?
Business, biology, and philosophy (specifically, management, biomedicine, and ethics).
What is something you would like people to know about you as a student?
I am not as unapproachable as I appear to be. I always have time to assist other students with assignments, and always put forth my best effort to make proud all of the Northwestern Wildcat Professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students who gave me the opportunity to be a college student and participate in the success of NPEP.
What does being a part of NPEP mean to you?
The opportunity to achieve something other than the worst mistake I’ve made. Being a part of NPEP also means the opportunity to prove that education has the power to transform the lives of the incarcerated.
What course has had the biggest impact on you and why?
Professor Jennifer Lackey’s philosophy class on ethics has had the biggest impact on me because of the course material. Fellow NPEP students and Professor Lackey challenged my belief system and reminded me of my moral duty and obligation to mankind. The course held me accountable and required me to rationally reflect on my thought process. It didn’t tolerate laziness in anyone’s intellectual ability, especially one’s grammar (spelling a word wrong gets you Professor Lackey’s “red pen” lashing, so much so that I proofread everything prior to submitting it). While this course doesn’t sound “enjoyable,” it is one of the best and life-altering classes any student will experience. I advise everyone to enroll in it.
What is your favorite book or article that you have read in your NPEP classes?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel, “Half of a Yellow Sun.”
This novel was my favorite book assigned to me in my NPEP classes because I was able to relate to the characters and the daily struggles depicted throughout. While the story is based on the Biafran War in Nigeria, the Biafrans’ fight was for freedom from oppression, and sacrifice comes with those types of battles. The criminal justice system is brutal in different ways, but still oppressive, and many sacrifices are called for if the system will ever change into a “just” and “humane” one. I’ve been on the frontlines of that battle for 34 years now. Long time for a mistake made at the young age of 18.
What assignment (paper, project, homework) have you found the most rewarding?
All of my biology assignments have been the most rewarding because I had to find creative ways to explain the biology lessons I learned each week in different formats (scientific review/research paper, letter home, comic, drawing, etc). It’s not easy compacting complex scientific concepts into a one-page letter home or in a comic strip. I believe I achieved that goal. So it has been the most rewarding — plus the “A” grade I received doesn’t hurt!