Translator: Juliana Damia Reviewer: Elisabeth Buffard
Pennsylvania's unique
for a lot of things.
Some good, Hershey Park;
summer sausage;
(Laughter)
whoopie pies, it's all Pennsylvania stuff;
some not so good.
Probably, one of the most infamous distinctions
in some people's mind
would be that Pennsylvania leads the country
in the number of lifers who were sentenced as juveniles.
Pennsylvania has nearly 500 lifers,
who were sentenced before the age of 18,
who commited a crime,
in their youth,
and for that crime will never leave a prison.
And this whole notion,
just try to wrap you head around:
growing up inside of a prison.
Just think about that for a second.
It's difficult to imagine.
But we don't have to imagine it.
Because we have two brave ladies,
who are gonna share their story
about growing up in prison.
So I'm proud to introduce Tina Brosius
and Melisa McManus.
(Applause)
She was an 18-year-old-mother of two beautiful girls.
Carrie and Sarah,
who walked into prison 20 years ago.
She was lost, afraid and confused.
Her heart broke for her daughters
that she had to leave behind.
It was one of the hardest things to do,
trying to be a mother,
and watch them grow up without her.
But she knew that no matter the circumstances
she had to reach out for help.
She made a choice to face her daily struggles
by attending many parenting classes.
Education.
Education was important to her.
But in order to instill education,
she had to lead by example.
By taking numerous college courses
and business classes.
She was a 17-year-old-girl
who walked into prison 21 years ago.
She was numb, confused, lost and angry.
She was afraid to trust anyone,
the only person she trusted was the grandmother
who she had to leave.
At the age of nine, she took on the responsibilities
of the two adults that abandoned her
and her two younger siblings.
She took care of her 4-month-old-sister
and cared for her grandmother who had health problems.
She would sacrifice her childhood to care for her family.
She had been treated like an adult,
and in her young mind she was one.
At the age of 12, she quit school.
How can discipline be possible without any consequences?
When she came to prison, she did what she knew,
by helping people, do what she could to fix things,
hold everything in,
keep a smile. Always a smile.
She became pregnant at 15.
And the daughter she gave birth to at such a young age,
became pregnant herself at 16.
She shared her struggles of being a teenage mother
while she was in prison.
She had to go to school,
and she had to support her daughters.
In this way she was able to share her story of strength,
perseverance,
and healing.
Her biggest challenge was forgiveness.
Forgiveness from others and herself.
All she knew was that it all began with her.
And she was well on her way on the road to redemption.
She would do anything for anyone.
Some took advantage of her kindness and her naivety,
by using her appearance for financial gain.
She would give things to people,
until she realised she was just being used.
She would learn valuable lessons when
some of her "friends" became nonexistant
when she didn't do the things she once did for them.
She had to grow up and let go the guilt she let hold onto her whole life
and accept why the people in her life
made the decisions that they made.
She had to grow up,
make the decision to better herself.
She learnt who she was by finally understanding
where she came from.
She chose to get an education,
and therapy.
She wanted to do better for herself and others.
She is a role model, a positive influence,
and has a powerful ability to motivate others.
She is productive, and she gives back everyday.
She extends herself to anyone who needs her,
whether she knows them or not.
For the people she considers her friends,
they know they can depend on her.
She is a good mother to her daughters, Carrie and Sarah,
who I have had the pleasure of watching grow,
and have had the chance to know.
Who is she?
She is someone who has gone above and beyond the word change.
Rehabilitation is what you need to change.
Education,
Therapy,
Treatment,
and learning different ways in thinking and dealing with things cannot be forced.
You have to want these things.
She is proof that not all crimes define who we are.
She has motivated me,
and more importantly, she has motivated her daughters.
I have learnt so much from her.
And my biggest hope for her
is to be given the chance to show the world
who she really is outside these gates.
She became the woman she is today
by facing her past,
letting go of the things that kept her in a shell.
Understanding what brought her here,
growing up in prison,
losing her grandmother and her father,
letting go of the pain, anger and understanding her confusion
was not easy.
She's a leader, productive and is accomplished.
She's made a difference in people's lives, including mine.
She has been one of my biggest inspirations for 19 years.
She's there for anyone who needs her.
When she saw me sitting there by myself 19 years ago,
she came up and talked to me.
We became friends that day,
and we've been friends from that day till now.
Someone once told her:
"You take you wherever you go."
She lives by that everyday.
With the foundation she has created for herself,
it's up to her to keep that foundation strong,
by being the woman she has become and continues becoming.
Hard work, determination and confidence
have brought her where she is today.
We are a reflection of the foundation we have created for ourselves.
We were kids, we walked through these gates two decades ago.
And on our own, we made a choice to make a better life for ourselves.
We learnt to reach out, to find positive outlets,
to become positive and productive adults
by not becoming products of our environment.
No matter where you come from,
or what your home environment was like,
you can rise above and break the cycle.
Choices we make, whether good or bad,
become our foundation.
If the foundation is cracked or unlevel,
the structure will fall apart around you.
But if the foundation is strong,
it becomes the basis from which you will draw your strength.
Ladies and gentleman, this is the story of my dear friend,
Tina Brosius.
And ladies and gentleman, this is the story of my friend,
Melisa McManus.
(Applause and cheering)