"What we learned really quickly was, when you empower somebody and you provide them an opportunity to go to school, they will."
"That was my light at the end of the tunnel. I was really committed to getting good grades."
“There is no better place to be when you get out than the California community colleges.”
"I started to learn that there was something for me in school and when I found that, I went 100% on it."
“Every day 83,000 folks are in a jail, a jail that is within 10 miles of a community college campus. We need to educate those folks.”
"The human spirit is so amazing, but the human condition sometimes sets us up for places like prison... but it doesn't have to, and we deserve better."
"I'm going to walk you through this chapter of your life, but you get to create the future."
“It’s unfortunate we’ve come to prison but it’s a huge blessing that we’ve been allowed the opportunity to have further education so possibly we can take our place back in society.”
"Education empowers. Education's very important because it changes you into a person that can make a difference, and make a difference in your community and make a difference with your family."
"I get asked by people...'if you only had one thing to say to a kid what would it be?' And I would say, I wouldn't. I would show up...Because sometimes showing up is what really reaches them."
"Just planting the seed, 'I see myself as an academic, I see myself as someone who is going to go to University' can be powerful."