Awards and recognitions

Quotes from the Award Letter:

“Over the past 23 years, hundreds of inmates have become more prepared for the challenges of re-entry into society following the completion of their extensive coursework with The College Program and have been provided the opportunity to earn a college degree… You should take great pride in the fact that your volunteer work has made a positive and lasting impact on the citizens and communities we serve…. I am grateful for the dedication and passion that you bring to justice, and I am honored to recognize you for your outstanding contributions.”

Award Acceptance Remarks:

Since 1997, collectively The College Program volunteers have journeyed to the federal prison for women over 1,000 times.

We have not done this because we enjoy the chaos also known as highway I-17. We go to prison because we believe in the human beings, our students, who are there. And, we believe in the transformative power of education. That’s it really.

As we all know from our daily lives, institutions exert enormous force in defining and determining who we are in society, how others view us, and how we think about ourselves.  Prisons are especially profound in this regard. One of the foremost powers of imprisonment is the power to define who prisoners are.

But education resists and diminishes that power.

People on the outside always ask: “What do you do at the prison?”

• We show up and bring books and respect.
• We seek to renew hope for the future.

We are a group of critical educators: Our purpose is exceedingly and elegantly straightforward: we are there to help students succeed in college courses and to earn college degrees. That’s it – plus a zillion hours of detail work. 

Those of us who go to prison are supported by a wonderful educational partnership – a network of staff members, students and faculty at Arizona State University, education staff and students at the Federal Prison Camp – Phoenix, Rio Salado College’s Incarcerated Re-entry Program, our colleague at GateWay Community College, and donors who provide essential funding. 

One of my favorite things is being with study groups that help students learn to be college students and provide an opportunity to be in a learning community. I particularly delight in being with the mythology and philosophy students.

I am always reminded of a student from years ago. She was in her late fifties, had earned her GED in prison, and wanted very much to take philosophy as her first ever college course. [Oh, my, philosophy as the first ever college course…] We were talking about her assignment for the week and came to this short essay prompt: “In your own words, explain the existentialist concept of transcendence. See Jean Paul Sartre.”

I thought, but did not say out loud, “Really, philosophy department? Really? This is an introductory course, not a graduate seminar.” Then I read our student’s answer: “This means that we’ve got to keep on keeping on with the unfinished self to the end.”

Amen!     

Thank you so much for supporting our students and program.

Truly there are forces far greater than judgment and punishment. They are called mercy, human understanding and change.

Volunteer Organization of the Year – Federal Prison Camp – Phoenix

Volunteer of the Year – Federal Prison Camp – Phoenix (numerous awards)