Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos joined the leadership of RI Department of Corrections to honor and celebrate the historic graduation of RI’s first three incarcerated women to receive Bachelor’s Degrees from College Unbound. These are the first BA degrees awarded by a RI institution to incarcerated women in RI.
Jose Rodriguez, Assistant Vice President for Community & Belonging, reinforced this message when he shared how pursuing his BA while incarcerated changed his life. Jose has since obtained his BA and his MA. He is presently pursuing his doctorate while he oversees the Prison Education Program as part of the leadership team of the college.
CU President Adam Bush commented, “We celebrate these three graduates for their powerful accomplishments. This milestone not only impacts their lives, but also the future of College Unbound and of all of Rhode Island. The “unbound” of College Unbound insists that we build upon our last decade of work within the ACI to ensure that higher education behind bars is accessible, relevant, and liberatory. Together with the RIDOC and our partner postsecondary institutions committed to education inside the prison, we are changing these outcomes.”
These three graduates are a part of a larger graduating class of 78 learners who earned their BA degrees on Sunday. During Sunday’s ceremony Ret. Judge Judy Savage, CU board member, accepted the Fighting For Justice award on behalf of these three women; an award that recognizes a commitment to social change and advocacy. Together – their CU projects are aimed at disrupting homelessness, building coalitions for formerly incarcerated artists, and supporting the aftermath of lives touched by violence. On Thursday, in the Gloria McDonald Women’s Facility, LT Gov. Matos joined to honor these graduates with remarks that spoke to her own journey as a woman in leadership and modeling that for others.
In addition to Thursday’s graduation, CU held commencement ceremonies in Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Providence, and at the DOC’s Medium Security facility, where 4 incarcerated men received their diplomas. This marks College Unbound’s largest graduation to date, with 130 students receiving their Bachelor of Arts degrees across the country in the college’s singular major, Organizational Leadership and Change.
About College Unbound
College Unbound (CU) is an innovative, accredited college with a mission to reinvent the higher education experience for underserved adult learners, using a student-driven model of rigorous and engaged scholarship. This year, CU celebrates its 10th anniversary as a college in Rhode Island as well as the 10th anniversary of its Prison Education Program. CU specializes in getting students on a path to a Bachelor’s degree, keeping them focused on that goal, and supporting them in every way necessary to achieve it. An open admissions and federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution, CU serves students aged 17-61; 30% of students identify as latinx, 15% as white, and 37% as black/African-American. 76% of students receive federal Pell Grants.