From Incarceration to Doctoral Candidate: Education, Reentry Barriers, and the Power of Second Chances
Editor’s Note: To protect this individual’s privacy, we are intentionally keeping their identity anonymous. The experiences and quotes shared below reflect their lived experience with incarceration, higher education and reentry, and are shared with their permission.
When this individual first entered prison, higher education wasn’t part of the plan. That changed after watching other incarcerated individuals enroll in college courses offered inside the facility.
“[My peers] had somewhere to go and something to do,” they said. “So, I attempted to enroll.”
Early on, affordability became a major barrier. With family support, this individual was able to take two courses—one by mail and one through a community college partnership—but the cost made continued enrollment difficult.
Despite having a release date, this individual was also ineligible for certain education programs due to sentence-length restrictions, nearly bringing their academic journey to an end.
“It was a few years later, after I had to quit classes, that I received a scholarship from the Sunshine Lady Foundation,” they said. “The courses and programs I completed thanks to this scholarship changed how I saw myself: from a high school dropout to an academic.”
Education as a Lifeline, Not Just a Degree
Inside prison walls, the classroom became something more than an academic space. Classroom interaction is often a respite, marking the only time many incarcerated students are treated with dignity.
“The humanity that those programs bring to people who are dehumanized in every aspect of their life—that matters,” they explained. “You’re called by your first name. You’re treated like a human.”
Discovering a talent for academics, this individual fell in love with learning.
“If I could afford it, I would just keep getting more degrees and stay in college forever,” they joked. “I love expanding my mind.”
They were released in 2015 and left not only with an associate’s degree, but also with an entrepreneurship certificate earned through Resilience Education's UVA Darden Business School Entrepreneurship Program. They left with credentials, and more importantly, with a new outlook.
“It’s given me purpose,” they said. “It’s given me meaning. It’s given me a future that I could not have envisioned without these programs.”
Continuing the Journey After Release
Committed to continuing their education after returning home, this individual visited a local community college to ask about tuition and enrollment options. That visit resulted in their enrollment for the upcoming semester, a completed FAFSA application and no out-of-pocket costs. From there, two additional associate’s degrees followed, along with graduation from an honors program and their qualification for guaranteed admission to a public university.
Stigma, however, remained.
During the university application process, the familiar question surfaced: Have you ever been convicted of a felony?
“It was like a little, mini world-shattering moment,” they shared. “Despite strong grades and honors distinctions, the application required revisiting the worst day of my life in conversations with admissions staff.”
Administrators ultimately chose to look beyond a single checkbox and consider their full record. That decision is what made their next chapter possible. Today, this individual is pursuing a PhD.
The Ongoing Barriers of Reentry
This individual’s experience highlights a reality many formerly incarcerated individuals face: education can open doors, but stigma can close them just as quickly.
Application forms, employment screenings, housing restrictions and social bias create repeated moments where a single checkbox threatens years of growth. The burden of explanation falls on the person who has already served their sentence.
“Second-chance employees are often some of the strongest hires an organization can make,” they said. “Many bring resilience, accountability, gratitude for opportunity and a deep commitment to proving themselves.”
What Needs to Change
If we want education to continue transforming lives, systemic barriers must continue to be dismantled. This individual pointed to several changes that can keep doors open:
Expanding access to affordable higher education inside prisons.
Removing unnecessary restrictions tied to sentence length.
Reducing reliance on blanket “check the box” barriers that prevent fair evaluation.
Encouraging employers and institutions to assess applicants holistically.
Investing in reentry supports that connect education to sustainable employment.
Most importantly, they emphasized the power of belief: Sometimes transformation begins with just one or two courses.; sometimes it begins because someone else believes you’re capable.
For this one-time high-school dropout turned doctoral candidate, higher education didn’t just provide a credential. It restored dignity, rebuilt identity and reshaped an entire life trajectory.
“It’s given me a sense of myself that I didn’t have before,” they said.
And that may be the most powerful outcome of all.