(bright music)
- Welcome to the Hudson Link Mercy College
Department of Corrections graduation 2019.
(applause)
- I think a lot of our prisons in this country
were built on an effort of punishment,
but when you punish somebody, there's gotta be
something about rehabilitation, second chances,
and that's what we're doing in these prisons.
Hudson Link for Higher Education is a degree granting
college program in five different prisons.
Each one of our students leaves the prison
with a college degree.
We've been doing this for 21 years,
and we now have this opportunity to grow
in a way that is impactful for folks all across the country.
- There's nothing holding you back.
There is no door that this education doesn't unlock
and let you move into a new place of learning.
(furniture clanking)
- Tomorrow we're doing a graduation
through the Hudson Link program.
- It's like one of the biggest events of the year
in Sing Sing.
- Hudson Link for Higher Education is now 21 years old.
I was in the first graduating class.
When I went to prison at 16 years old,
I wasn't expecting there to be any future at all,
let alone a good or a bad one.
But the fact is, the stuff that I did in prison
is the most powerful stuff on my resume to date.
Everything that I have today, was 'cause the older guys
in the prison made me go to school.
- Sean is proof positive that people can change their life.
I have my bachelor's in behavioral science.
When I first got it, it was to study myself.
I chose the street life, and I couldn't understand why
I did a lot of things that I did.
I was a dangerous person, and I believe if I can change,
anybody can change.
- There's a huge amount of guilt that we have
from being in prison.
To be able to take that bad situation and now turn that
into something good, that's incredible.
And we do it for free.
We're raising this money privately.
68% of the men and women that go to prison,
return to prison when they leave,
and that's a staggering number.
We have a less than 2% recidivism rate.
Thinking strategically about what our future looks like,
how do we do more of this?
How do we touch more prisons?
You know, we gotta think a little bigger now.
Different people that are getting involved
are looking at this through a different lens.
We were introduced to the Stand Together community.
- Sean Pica who you saw in that video who leads Hudson Link.
Sean is now working with this network
to replicate that program in prisons across the country.
(applause)
- For years, it was me making decisions alone.
The Stand Together family has brought on
a management style that's made us really think
about the decisions we're making as a small non-profit.
Since we've been working with Stand Together,
the breadth of what we've been able to offer
has literally doubled since we met them.
- You are receiving a college degree today.
It is precisely the same college degree I award
to thousands of other students
who've done the same kind of work as you.
What's being recognized here today,
I wanna make sure your family members
and guests understand this, is that you've earned,
you've earned a college degree.
(applause)
- You enrolled in Hudson Link 'cause you had a vision
for something that could be better, right?
You wanted something more.
And now you're educated.
You've got a college degree.
You can start to write your own story.
- I think I learned a lot about myself
through the process of going to school,
and now I can hold a degree that shows
that I accomplished something that is worthwhile
and may help me do something with my life
that I didn't really think I was gonna be able to accomplish
while I was in here.
- Having this college program in this facility
is like a beacon of light.
It's real easy to lose hope in prison
and this restores hope, gave me back hope.
I wanna go back to my community and help
so many young people that are unfortunately,
facing the same things that I faced as a young person,
and just let them know that they have choices,
that they have other options.
- We know that every victory in prison is hard fought.
If we can succeed at this level
inside of a maximum security prison,
then we can succeed anywhere under any circumstance.
(applause)
- [Sean] This is impacting communities,
public safety, the families.
It's not just about one person getting one degree.
It's so much bigger than that.
The person being released from prison has to realize
that they've served their time.
They deserve a second chance, but also the community
has to be open and welcoming of that as well.
They're coming back as a helper now,
that will have a rippling effect beyond prison.
I truly believe, as a community, we will solve this problem
in a way that is going to impact the entire country.
- In our series Catalysts,
we're profiling inspiring social entrepreneurs
who are developing bold solutions to our biggest problems.
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