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Stories of Change
Leslie, CCF Fellow B.A., Forensic Psychology 2009
Plans to continue her education with a Master's Degree in Memtal Health Counseling.
In 1998, Leslie went to prison for 2 years. She had been in an abusive relationship with a man who was addicted to drugs, as was she. Her partner repeatedly assaulted her. Leslie sought help from the police and had her partner arrested. However, Leslie was so overwhelmed with her addiction that she was unable to cooperate with the District Attorney. Her abuser was released. One day, while being assaulted, Leslie fought back and she ended up in prison. Being convicted of a felony was a heartbreaking and traumatic experience for Leslie because it separated her from her 2 year old daughter. She felt like all hope was gone. While she was incarcerated, Leslie struggled with the reality that her life had gone to pieces. She cried every night and day, yearning to be reunited with her child. She now confesses, “My daughter kept me alive”. A turning point came while Leslie was in treatment for her addiction. She decided that she was no longer going to be a victim, a failure, or a danger to herself, her daughter, or the community. She decided to reclaim her hopes and dreams.
When she was released from prison, Leslie joined the College and Community Fellowship and found hope for the future in higher education. She earned an A.A. degree at Borough of Manhattan Community College, and currently attends John Jay College of Criminal Justice where she will graduate in May with a B.A. in Forensic Psychology. She plans to go on to graduate school to obtain a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling.
While she pursues her long term goals, Leslie works full time at the Doe Fund, Inc., and is an active participant in the College and Community Fellowship’s Theater for Social Change. She supplements her income by working part time as a tutor to children in foster care.
Leslie’s academic and life skills have improved dramatically. She has grown from a young woman without a plan for the future into a confident, wise and mature person with increasingly clear goals and abilities. She has received numerous awards and has been inducted into two academic honor societies: Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society and Chi Alpha Epsilon National Honor Society.
Leslie has recently joined a leadership group at CCF that is working on a public policy campaign called: “Education from the Inside/Out: Restoring Fairness in Higher Education Funding”. The goal of the campaign is to support public funding for college courses inside of prisons. Leslie is a natural advocate. Her good humor, intelligence and ability to see the world from the point of view of others make her an effective and popular leader.
Leslie is the mother of a very bright and talented 12 year old daughter who attends a magnet charter school where she is an active parent. Leslie’s story is proof of what CCF has always known: Education works. Not just for individuals, but for families, and communities as well.
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Kimberly, CCF Fellow A.S., Applied Science/Nursing 2007
Currently pursing B.S. "[When I joined CCF]
Kim was released from Albion Correctional Facility in 2002, after which she worked as a Nurse’s Aide to support herself. One day, Kim had a discussion with a counselor who asked her “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Kim without hesitation answered “a nurse.” That conversation changed Kim’s life.
Kim remembered hearing about an organization that would help her finish college, College and Community Fellowship (CCF). She called CCF to schedule an appointment, excited and motivated about her decision to pursue her dream. Kim told a few people what she wanted to do with her life. They laughed and rolled their eyes saying, “You can’t be a registered nurse with a criminal record.” After that, Kim decided to keep her goals to herself. Kim states, “I remember going to CCF and telling them I want to be a registered nurse and they said OK, here what we’re going to do to help you achieve that goal.” It was at this very moment that she knew CCF was the place for her and that her childhood dreams had not been forever lost.
With the help of CCF’s mentoring, academic counseling, peer support and financial assistance, Kim obtained an Associate Degree in Applied Science/Nursing in May 2007. Kim got married in August 2007 and worked as a graduate nurse until May 2008. In that time, Kim passed the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses, in August 2008.
CCF was able to assist Kim in obtaining her Certificate of Relief of Disabilities which assists in removing legal bars or disabilities imposed because of a conviction of a crime. She is still awaiting approval of the Nursing Board licensure.
Kim has stayed active while waiting. With CCF’s help she has become an advocate for higher education for the formerly incarcerated. She is a member of CCF’s Speaker’s Bureau and Theater for Social Change. Kim also is working on CCF’s campaign to restore public funding for college in prison through Pell grants nationally, and TAP awards in New York State. Through CCF, she has been able to present a case for increased access to education to various organizations and policy makers.
At this same time, Kim is pursuing an entrepreneurial project with her husband and two sons. She is working on her bachelor’s degree with the ultimate goal of becoming a nurse practioner. She is faithful in her church attendance and involved in their Overcomers Ministry and Nursery Ministry; working with infants and toddlers. She seeks counsel from community faith centers, educators, and former parole officers as the need arises. Kim believes that in addition to the support she receives from the CCF community, her strong spiritual base and commitment are the foundational pillars that support her new life.
“I LOVE MY LIFE!” declares Kim. She is grateful for her new-found freedom from the vices that once had her bound in a physical and mental prison. With the support of her husband, children, family, and friends Kim is able to remain optimistic about her future. The CCF community has given her the courage to use her past as a positive force to help others achieve their dreams. CCF’s Executive Director, Vivian Nixon often says “Let’s turn this mess into a miracle!” Kim says, “The encouragement, knowledge, and opportunities that being part of CCF has afforded me is priceless.”
A Woman's Journey
"[When I joined CCF] I felt my anxiety supplanted by the security of knowing others like me who were also striving to free themselves from their scarred pasts."
I am a 37 year-old woman of color, a mother of five children and in recovery for 15 years. I am a recent CCF graduate with a B.A in Women Studies and Sociology. My goals are to continue my education pursuing a master's degree and to assist underprivileged women who are suffering from individual and social trauma.
My involvement with the criminal justice system began at age 18. I served short sentences for stealing from retail stores and selling small amounts of crack to support my escalating crack addiction. Daily, I asked God to spare me from going home to my mother so that she would not be subjected to the hatred that I felt toward her for abandoning me, leaving me to suffer from pains of physical and sexual abuse from my stepfather. I prayed for a new lease on life, and a fresh start. Was I asking too much of God? When no solution to my problems emerged, I stopped trusting in God. All hopes and dreams dissolved in a stream of smoke from a glass pipe.
At age 25, God answered my prayer. I was sentenced to serve 4 ½ - 9 years in prison for selling $80 dollars worth of drugs. This was a mandatory minimum sentence under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. It saddens me to think that at that time I thought prison was the way to save my life, the road I had to take to change the destructive path I was traveling.
While incarcerated I received my G.E.D. That moment proved to be a turning point for me: I knew then that I could accomplish anything despite the endless chatter (inside my head, in the press, and on the airwaves) that said I would never be anything but a crack head. The accomplishment of receiving the G.E.D stimulated me to aspire for more. In 1993, while at Bayview Correctional Facility, I enrolled in the Mercy College Inmate program, which sadly, came to an end shortly afterwards, because the current Governor feels that education for inmates is a privilege, not a human right. Nonetheless, with the help of some prison staff, who brought me essential reading material, I was able to continue my self-rehabilitation.
Upon my release in 1996 I enrolled in college again. I was deathly afraid during the first term because I had not entered a school building since 1984. I had feelings of inferiority, thoughts that I did not have what it took to make it, fear of looking stupid, fear of not fitting in, and fear of succeeding. Yet it also was, in a strange way, fear that kept me going, kept me believing when I had nothing else to rely on. When I came to CCF, fear stopped being my primary motivation. A circle of support replaced that fear. I felt my anxiety supplanted by the security of knowing others like me who were also striving to free themselves from their scarred pasts.
During the commencement celebration in June 2004 when I obtained by bachelor's degree, a joyous feeling crept in, the same feeling that I had experienced when I received my G.E.D, that I could achieve whatever I set out to do. Only God knows the difficulties I have overcome to succeed in completing a college education. I am thankful for the many gifts that God entrusted to me that I might accomplish what I thought was the impossible dream. Besides my strong will power and inner gifts, God placed caring people in my path to advocate on my behalf. These individuals cared about my success and cared about my wholeness; they saw something in me that I could not. CCF provided a safe circle of support and believed in me when I did not believe in myself. Knowing that there are people who created this organization and contribute to sustain it--this idea keeps hope alive in me, keeps me on my path.
The opportunities for leadership that CCF provides have taught me that being a leader takes more than skills and self-interest. A leader is not selfish, but giving, constantly giving of herself, in order to empower and enhance the growth of others, forever learning new skills to pass on. That is the true gift education--the power to be of use and to advocate for others, the power to give back to others who have walked the same path. (Anonymous)
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A Mother's Story
"The greatest gift I could have ever given her was to see her mother receive her degree, against all the odds we have faced together."
It has not always been easy being the mother. Taking care of boo boos, doing homework and braiding hair are just a few of the things a mother does. As a mother you nurture and support your child throughout her life. Along with the everyday things, there are the gifts that you never realize you have given. One such gift that I have given my daughter is the gift of seeing her own mother further her education.
Despite my trials and tribulations with the criminal justice system, I continued to go to school. My daughter would sit with me as I went over my homework. From sociology to psychology, human biology to music appreciation, we have done it all together. Now, as I proofread my papers or sit up studying for a test the following morning, she sits by my side.
While I was at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, she was struggling with her algebra. We would do equations during visits. She sent me her tests from English and Social Studies classes with 100% scores. Of course there were the occasional failing grades, but she worked hard to keep her grades up.
I remember the night I received my Bachelor's degree. As I walked across the stage to receive my degree, I looked up to the rafters and I saw my daughter jumping up and down, waving so I could see her. At that moment, I not only realized my own promise, but my daughter's as well. The greatest gift I could have ever given her was to see her mother receive her degree, against all the odds we have faced together.
Now she is a college freshman at Canton College of Technology. Her intended major was Veterinary Science, but she informed me the other day that she might change her major to business instead. She is making decisions that only she can make, but she is making them while keeping my gift close to her heart and in her mind.
Angela joined the CCF community in 2000. She is a proud single mother and received a Master's Degree in Social Work from Hunter College in 2004.
