Changing the narrative of incarcerated students

KELLY FENG Managing Editor

Being released from prison and reentering the world doesn’t mean you have a job lined up.

That’s what 5,280 reentering people discover every year when they try to rejoin the workforce.

Madison College is determined to change that.

On Friday, April 7, the Intercultural Exchange Center, United Common Ground and the Center of International Education presented “Changing the Narrative of Incarcerated Students.”

Organized by Olivia Lemke, the Intercultural Exchange Center associate advisor, and moderated by Jamie Reinart, the Center for Reentry Education manager, the presentation included speeches from experts in reentry. The Institute for Equity and Transformation Change director Marco Torrez-Miranda and Ronda Davis, a specialist from Justice-Involved Families State, reflected on what changing the narrative means and what it’s like for a student to be affected by parental incarceration, respectively.

The reentering program was created for incarcerated students to provide critical skills and knowledge that lead to livable wage employment. Madison College provides the training and education, and the Department of Corrections (DOC) covers the cost of instruction and helps with employment. The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin (WDBSCW) facilitates interview opportunities and connects graduates with potential employers.

Highlighting the presentation was a talk from Reinart, who described pathways from prison to higher education and proudly spoke about former

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Delta Alpha Pi empowers students with disabilities

Delta Alpha Pi international honor society (DAPi) is a prestigious program that is committed to acknowledging and empowering the outstanding academic achievements, leadership abilities and advocacy endeavors of post-secondary students with disabilities.

DAPi was first established at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, but there are now over 170 chapters at different colleges. Madison College is one of the active chapters and works with many students who are highly achieved.

With immense enthusiasm, Anna Nickolai, the Senior Disability Resource Liaison, passionately described the ongoing success of DAPi semester after semester.

“We have 34 members enrolled in classes this spring in our Madison College Chapter of DAPi," Nickolai said.

“We are excited to provide them with what they need to accomplish their goals," Nickolai added.

The program at Madison College equips individuals with the necessary tools and resources to help them reach their goals and be well-prepared for the