My first move, once at a prison unit, was to enroll into the junior college program. By far, the best move I made! Prison was different in 1974, full of veterans, both Viet Nam and of prison, who were all involved in the college program. The were people who were interesting to talk to, who had plans for their future, and who knew the intricacies of doing time. We all went to class after work, spent time outside of class doing homework together, and discussed the things we were learning. This discussion spread to many other topics with a sharing of experiences and individual understanding. I had enjoyed school as a kid and this held true as an older kid…I was 18 years old.
I continued to take college courses up until the time the senior college program was discontinued at my unit of assignment. I was a senior at Stephen F. Austin State University. It was truly a joy to take classes in English, History, and Political Science, but I was less interested in the Business Administration classes. Now, I have a total of 133 credit hours, a college vocational certificate in Ornamental Horticulture, and an Associate in General Liberal Arts degree both certificate and degree from Alvin Community College.
These days, I continue to learn from books, magazines, radio, and people. Education is, and should be, a life long process, one I cannot imagine living without. Recently, the prison issued tablets that further enhance the learning process: khanacademy.org and Lexis!
