Yale, University of New Haven partnership celebrates first degrees awarded to inmates

By Pat Eaton-Robb

Graduates Alpha Jalloh, left, and Marcus Harvin, right, embrace at the first-ever college graduation ceremony at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, Friday, June 9, 2023, in Suffield, Conn. The ceremony was held under a partnership established in 2021 by the University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative.

SUFFIELD, Conn. (AP) Marcus Harvin has two identification cards.

One shows he is a fellow at Yale College, which is helping him on a track toward law school .

The other shows he is a parolee, just released from the maximum security MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution after spending six years in prison for a highly publicized drunken driving accident that left his two young children injured.

Harvin, who hopes to become a defense attorney someday, was back inside the prison Friday for a graduation ceremony at which he received his associate degree in general studies from the University of New Haven. He and six other men make up the first class to matriculate from a partnership between UNH’s Prison Education Program and the Yale Prison Education Initiative.

“That name, Yale, means so much because I’m from New Haven and to be able to study at Yale and begin studying in prison is unheard of,” said Harvin. “People even think I’m lying sometimes, so I’ll show them my jail I.D. and my Yale I.D.”

The Yale program was launched in 2016 by alum Zelda Roland. It was based on a similar program she was part of while working with Wesleyan University.

Yale partnered with UNH in 2021, giving the student-inmates a path to two and four year college degrees. The program, which offers classes at McDougall-Walker and the federal women’s prison in Danbury, is now part of a consortium that includes 15 schools and prison systems across the country.

“We believe that this is a transformative program, that it has the potential to make a generational impact,” said Roland, who serves as the director of the Yale-UNH partnership. “We believe that we’re transforming not just individual student’s lives, but also the institutions that we work in, both the universities and correctional system.”

Gov. Ned Lamont served as the graduation speaker Friday, echoing that theme and expressing hope that the graduates will pave the way for others.

“We define our own futures and today is the start of that,” he said. “You learn from the past, but you define your own future. And what happens in your future is going to be your legacy. And I want you to have a really important story to tell.”

Just over 20% of inmates receive some form of higher education in prison, UNH officials said. And studies have shown that those who do are far less likely to have behavioral problems in prison, and far less likely to commit crimes once they are released.

Harvin said it also gives inmates something that may be less tangible, but perhaps just as important hope.

“It literally is the light at the end of the tunnel that gives the day illumination,” Harvin said. “Because when you get to those classes, you don’t feel like you’re in prison. You actually go from being in a cell to being kind of, sort of on a campus. You literally feel like you’re not in the same place anymore.”

Graduates Alpha Jalloh, left, and Marcus Harvin, right, congratulate each other at the first-ever college graduation ceremony at MacDougallWalker Correctional Institution, Friday, June 9, 2023, in Suffield, Conn. The ceremony was held under a partnership established in 2021 by the University of New Haven and the Yale Prison Education Initiative.

Dennis Barnes, a New Orleans high school senior, is breaking records as he’s pulled in a whopping $9,000,000 in college scholarships and at least 125 acceptance letters. The AfricanAmerican teenager has made U.S. history as he’s now garnered more scholarships than any other student ever recorded.

WWLTV reports that the 16-year-old student applied to 200 colleges across the nation and the scholarships offered at the respective institutions. By the spring, the NOLA International High School student received an overwhelming amount of offers and funding.

“I submitted college applications in August with an eye on raising the bar high for college admissions. Decision letters were an overflow in my mailbox and hundreds of scholarships,” Barnes told the news outlet.

His school reportedly expects his offerings to reach $10,000,000 by the end of this month. Even then, Barnes would have still collected more money in scholarships than he predecessor: a Lafayette high school senior who was offered $8.7 million in scholarships in 2019.

Barnes’ love for learning makes him an attractive recipient, as he currently holds a cumulative grade point average of 4.98, WWTV reports.

He’s also proven himself a stellar student; he holds the position of executive president in his school’s National Honor Society. The exceptional scholar also skipped 10th grade and went straight to 11th where he excelled, according to his principal Dr. Adierah Berger.

Aside from his core studies, Barnes also excelled in foreign language courses as he learned to speak Spanish fluently.

As result of his bilingual skills, he’s received an offer letter from the Institute Cervantes on behalf of Spain’s Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports and was awarded the Jose Luis Baños Award for Excellence in Spanish Language by Maria Page, honorary consul of Spain in New Orleans.

On May 2, Barnes is expected to announce his decision before graduating on May 24. Either way, he plans to study computer science and criminal justice wherever he goes.

When asked what advice he has for rising high school seniors, Barnes told the news outlet, “The road to a successful future is to plan ahead, network with the collegiate partners, and know that If you can see your vision, you can achieve your goal.”

The weather is heating up and sounds of Will Smith‘s ”Summertime” or Kool & The Gang’s ”Summer Madness” should be the on your play list. If you don’t know these tracks, you need to download them now to play them as you prep to head out to the great outdoors, like our featured fitness enthusiast, Malik A. Stevens.

Somewhere

After living under multiple layers and hibernating from the cold while streaming multiple shows behind four walls, it is time to get out of the house and the gym and get into nature to breathe some fresh air. Don’t be afraid to to take off your shirt and feel the sun on your skin.

Once you find a place forget about your troubles and your nine to five.

Don’t be afraid to EXPLORE!

Taking the time to unplug from your regular routine gives your brain and your body the opportunity to really reset.

The sounds of nature will take you to another place and hopefully will dial down your mental and physical stressors.

Getting fit in nature isn’t hard – in fact you’re more likely to have fun than realize you’re working out. A natural environment provides many challenges that push our bodies in both minute and major ways. From the tiny flexor muscles in our legs to the giant trapezius muscle across our back, the great outdoors is the best gym coach you could ever have.

An increasing number of experts advocating leading a healthy outdoor lifestyle, that incorporates spending more time in nature and less time under artificial light.

Studies have shown how ‘green health improves mental health’ and that the rewards of exercising amongst nature lead to ‘increased self-esteem and improved mood such as a reduction in anger.’ We all know that getting outdoors is good for us, but its effects are far more far reaching than we might imagine.

Do yourself a favor and get outside and enjoy some nature.

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The new 15-inch MacBook Air makes room for more of what you love with a spacious Liquid Retina display. And with the 13-inch model, you have more reasons than ever to choose Air.

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