ABSTRACT
In this Chapter, Warren, Raheem, and Robert explain how college gave them access to freedom. Before high school, going to college was the goal, and getting incarcerated pushed them behind. They had to obtain a GED and make up for the lost time. Warren credited his college advisors and mentors for keeping him focused. His parents encouraged him to keep moving forward and not dwell on the past. Raheem recognized some skills he lost due to frequent suspensions but approached college creatively using his range of life lessons. Robert sped through an undergraduate and graduate program. As a doctoral student, he finally felt less vulnerable to criminalized experiences in his past. In this chapter, I situate college as an enriching space for formerly incarcerated people to restore lost dreams and move beyond the experiences that altered their life course to adulthood. The chapter provides critical suggestions for teachers to understand and address their students’ complex and diverse needs.
