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In galore ways, it looked similar immoderate different graduation ceremony. Graduates, donning caps and gowns, waited with excited anticipation, shaking hands with module and embracing household members who had travel to observe this milestone. Bulldog reddish and bluish decorations, emblazoned with “Class of 2024” and “Congratulations Grad,” brightened the gymnasium walls. The temper was festive, with unit and module successful regalia, graduates and loved ones mingling arsenic they awaited the ceremony’s start.
But this wasn’t conscionable immoderate graduation. What unfolded successful agrarian Madera County, conscionable southeast of Chowchilla, was thing abbreviated of bonzer – the first-ever commencement for incarcerated individuals earning bachelor degrees done Fresno State’s Degrees of Change program.
Upon approaching Valley State Prison, the beige buildings blend into the dry, agrarian landscape, surrounded by fields. For some, it’s hard to ideate thing bonzer happening wrong those walls. Built successful 1995, Valley State Prison serves arsenic a re-entry hub for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), providing vocational and acquisition training. Yet connected this day, the situation hosted a graduation ceremonial for 23 men who earned their bachelor’s degrees successful societal subject portion incarcerated.
Oscar Martinez, 1 of the 2 commencement speakers, captured the corporate emotion. “Well, I ne'er thought I would beryllium here,” helium said, his dependable filled with awe and excitement. The graduates, seated proudly successful the beforehand row, roseate to their feet, applauding and cheering each different passim the event.
Many of the shared sentiments were akin to accepted assemblage graduation ceremonies – the alleviation it was over, the acknowledged exhaustion of achieving a singular acquisition milestone that often takes years to implicit adjacent nether the champion circumstances and the thrust to win for emotion and family. However, it was clear, done the graduate’s ain voices, this was not a accepted experience.
In his address, Martinez shared a almighty poem reflecting connected his journey:
“Carrying my ain backpack filled with those lies that were told to me,
Self-fulfilling prophecies,
Education meant thing to me!
I americium excessively anserine is each I ever learned,
Especially erstwhile I couldn’t read,
And the consistent, I’ll ne'er succeed.”
At the bosom of this transformative programme is Dr. Emma Hughes, a Fresno State prof and programme coordinator for the Degrees of Change initiative. Colleagues and students alike recognition her imaginativeness and dedication for making this infinitesimal possible.
Valley State Prison successful Chowchilla hosted a graduation ceremonial for 23 men who earned their bachelor’s degrees successful societal sciences from Fresno State portion incarcerated. (Photos by Cary Edmondson)
Jose Ornelas, 1 of the graduates and commencement speakers, passionately expressed the interaction Hughes had connected his journey: “Today, successful my opinion, would not person happened if it was not for the hard enactment from 1 of the kindest radical I person ever met successful my beingness — Dr. Emma Hughes. I americium convinced that she is an angel sent to assistance each of my chap classmates, arsenic good arsenic myself. One of the main reasons we are each present contiguous is due to the fact that of her.”
Hughes said, “Our module question retired to Valley State Prison erstwhile a week to thatch classes nether bonzer circumstances. The module cannot usage compartment phones oregon link to the net portion successful the prison, and the students lone person entree to a closed intranet strategy via CDCR’s mentation of the Canvas learning platform. The students can’t link to outer websites similar YouTube. This makes for a learning situation that is uniquely challenging and antithetic from a accepted classroom.”
Despite the challenges, the programme thrived. “Teaching at the prisons has been 1 of the astir meaningful and transformative things I’ve ever been a part of,” said Dr. Jesse Scaccia, an adjunct prof successful media, connection and journalism astatine Fresno State.
His lukewarm grin and approachable quality fostered heavy bonds with the students, peculiarly successful his media storytelling class, wherever they were empowered to reclaim their ain narratives done writing.
Ornelas expressed his gratitude during his commencement speech: “Dr. Scaccia, a idiosyncratic I beryllium truthful overmuch — you animate me, Dr. J. You person fixed maine the assurance to beryllium a writer.”
Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval emphasized the value of the programme successful his address. “The Degrees of Change programme embodies the ethos of Fresno State,” helium said. “Higher acquisition is much than a privilege for the fewer — it is simply a travel of aforesaid find and reflection astir one’s self, one’s work to others and one’s quality to contribute, erstwhile fixed a 2nd chance, to society’s betterment; it is simply a almighty unit for all, careless of circumstance.”
Statistics enactment the program’s importance. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 95% of authorities prisoners volition yet beryllium released, and astir 80% volition instrumentality to their communities nether parole supervision. In California alone, astir 35,000 individuals are released each year, highlighting the captious request for acquisition programs that enactment re-entry and trim recidivism. The programme besides helps those who whitethorn beryllium staying agelong word wrong the situation to lend to a affirmative and constructive civilization and positions them to service arsenic mentors to others.
As the ceremonial drew to a close, Martinez near the assemblage with a almighty last stanza that transcends condition and situation walls:
“As we postgraduate present and spot the smiles,
Do not hide the things we thought we could not endure.
And erstwhile we measurement outside,
Look up and look around,
Everyone’s imaginable is entity bound.”
