Wallkill, NY — In the gymnasium of Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a momentous occasion unfolded as tassels flew high. Twelve students proudly received their Associate of Science degrees from SUNY Ulster, while eleven more were conferred Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Mount Saint Mary College. This combined commencement exercise, facilitated by Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, marked a milestone for the graduating class.
“This is a milestone in our lives,” said Jarrin R., student speaker for the Mount. “This is just one leg in a journey, and we’re all grateful for it and the opportunities a degree brings. A degree is transformational. Now we’re better prepared to reenter society.”
Founded in 1998, Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, is an Ossining-based nonprofit that offers college education and reentry support to currently and formerly incarcerated people. Since 2016, the organization has collaborated with SUNY Ulster to offer an associate degree at Shawangunk Correctional Facility.
“As President of SUNY Ulster, I know our faculty and staff are immensely proud of the academic accomplishments of our 2024 graduates from our prison program at Shawangunk Correctional Facility,” said President Alison Buckley, Ed.D. “Three-quarters of this graduating class at Shawangunk achieved honors or high honors, and all are continuing to pursue their bachelor’s degrees.”
Then in 2020, the organization partnered with Mount Saint Mary College to also offer a Bachelor’s degree at the site.
“We’re so happy to join SUNY Ulster, Hudson Link, and Shawangunk Correctional Facility in celebrating the newest graduates of Mount Saint Mary College,” said Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President of the Mount. “The graduates have proven that there is something incredible in all of them: They have not allowed themselves to be defined by past mistakes. They have said no to the naysayers, they chose education and said loudly, ‘I can do this!”
In his speech to the graduates, Sean Pica, the Executive Director of Hudson Link, drew upon his personal experience graduating in same gymnasium many years ago. He emphasized the hope his own degree gave him and echoed a similar message to the graduates. “If I can do this,” he had thought upon graduating, “Maybe I can do more.”
As the graduates looked toward their futures, they carried not just degrees, but a renewed sense of purpose and the knowledge that their achievements would ripple far beyond prison walls.
“Fellow graduates, we put that work in,” said Steve W., student speaker for SUNY Ulster. “Not only did we utilize our time wisely by taking the opportunity to better equip ourselves with tools that will help us navigate through life’s challenges, but we have also shown fortitude, determination, and vigorous effort to get us to this special moment of achievement.”
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