FACES OF FORTUNE
EILEEN KOBRIN
RICHARD LOUIS
DYJUAN TATRO
Did they give a firm handshake?
Have you ever been convicted of a crime? – This is a question that many individuals with justiceinvolvement such as Dr. Richard Louis encounter throughout their lives. Although unavoidable, he responds to it with confidence, thanks to his experience as a client and staff member at Fortune. Here, he learned to address the question openly, and discovered the inner resilience to live on his own terms.
At the age of 19, Dyjuan Tatro was serving a 14-year prison sentence when he came across a transformative opportunity at Eastern Correctional Facility—a program called the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI), which would allow him to pursue a college education in prison. Dyjuan immediately enrolled—a decision that equipped him with a new mindset.
Are they speaking with confidence? These are just a few questions that Eileen Kobrin, a volunteer at The Fortune Society, asks herself when conducting simulation interviews with clients. Through Fortune’s Mock Interview Project, hundreds of participants have successfully navigated one of the most daunting steps of the employment process: the interview. “The whole idea is for the clients to develop a rapport with the interviewer…” says Eileen. “We encourage them…to develop some kind of a relationship, to smile.” The Mock Interview Project is a game-changer because participants learn to develop a story of their skills and build inner confidence—so that when the real interviews come along, they are prepared. Just as Fortune clients have learned lifelong skills from Eileen, they have also inspired her. “I stand in awe of these men and women who’ve got everything going against them…” she said. “And yet... They’re not giving up.”
At Fortune, Dr. Louis learned to answer the conviction question by highlighting his accomplishments and conveying that his prison sentence does not define him. Dr. Louis went on to earn a doctorate degree in Education for Organizational Leadership and now works at Broward College as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, where he established a scholarship for students with incarcerated parents. He continues to live life to the fullest, unashamed of his past mistakes. “…I have the confidence to live in the world on my terms and have the world see me, and not just a conviction,” he said.
VOLUME LII • FEBRUARY 2020
Now a Board Member at The Fortune Society and Government Affairs Officer at BPI, Dyjuan was recently featured in the PBS documentary College Behind Bars. “Education...allowed me to…situate myself better in the world,” he said. Dyjuan majored in math, completed a project on cancer cell proliferation, and took stimulating courses that gave him new ways of thinking. Today, he advocates for the rights of incarcerated people as a Fortune board member, where he is especially focused on supporting criminal justice policies related to housing and LGBTQ issues. “I think everything Fortune is doing around housing is amazing...” he said. “Those are broad policy issues that take time…”
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