Wednesday January 24th marked a groundbreaking moment in Hudson Link's history, when associate degrees were awarded to six of our students inside Taconic Correctional Facility.   

Friends and family of the graduates gathered to celebrate along with representatives from the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. Acting Commissioner Anthony Annucci, Taconic Superintendent Tanya Mitchell-Voyd, and Director of Education Emily Bessette each shared words of wisdom and expressions of heartfelt congratulations on the students' achievements. 

Back row: Representatives from Hudson Link, DOCCS, and Nyack College. Front row: Taconic graduates.

Just before awarding the degrees, Nyack College President Dr. Michael Scales generously opened the arms and doors of Nyack College to the graduates and all those currently working towards their degrees.

The day's keynote address was delivered by Starshell (right), a Grammy-winning singer/songwriter who has collaborated with the likes of Kanye West and Jennifer Lopez. She wished the graduates a "happy birthday," likening their achievement to a rebirth and encouraging the women to look forward to their future achievements as if it was their first day on earth.

The ceremony also marked the first time that one of the six grads had returned to Taconic since her release. Now home, Shelly said she couldn't miss the opportunity to walk with her Hudson Link class. "This experience was amazing," she told Alumni Coordinator Todd Young after being greeted with hugs and smiles by classmates and Taconic staff alike. "To know that I had the courage to go back in, I'm so proud of myself and how far I've come. Hudson Link gives me motivation to keep on striving. This is not the end for me and I will not stop here. My daughter was so proud of me!"

Hudson Link's staff and board share these sentiments - in fact we could not be prouder of the six graduates and the 37 women still pursuing their degrees with us at Taconic.

We know that this is only the first of many graduation ceremonies to come for our Taconic students, and we are looking forward to every single one. Congratulations again to the class of 2018! See more pictures on Flickr.

Help Hudson Link celebrate our 20th anniversary - and ensure the future of higher education where it is needed most - by joining the 2018 Spring Benefit Committee!

The evening's program promises to be filled with messages of inspiration, hope, and transformation as we honor this year's award recipients: the Jacob Burns Film Center and Hudson Link Co-Founder John Valverde.

Benefit Committee membership, which provides direct support for our college programs, comes with benefits and special recognition before and during the event. For more information on the specific perks and packages offered, visit our Benefit Committee signup page. The deadline is just two weeks away, so make sure to join today!

Hudson Link is proud to welcome and introduce new staff member Lee Cruceta, who has taken over the position of Academic Coordinator at Greene Correctional Facility.

When Hudson Link launched at Sullivan Correctional Facility, Lee was one of the first prospective students to apply. With a family to support after release, he knew it would be necessary to build skills and recreate his life. It wasn't long before Lee was enrolled in the Hudson Link program, working as an active member of the Student Advisory Committee, assisting with course preparation and registration, and excelling in his studies. Lee graduated with honors with an associate degree in Liberal Arts and Humanities.

Now home, Lee is excited to impact the lives of men on the same journey he once traveled. "The situation our students are in is one I can identify with," Lee says, "and I think being a graduate myself will allow me to demonstrate the opportunities available through education. Hudson Link changed my life both in and outside the correctional facility and I'm living proof of what this program can do."

The whole Hudson Link team is proud of how far Lee has come and cannot wait to see the difference he will make in the lives of our students at Greene Correctional Facility. Welcome, Lee!

Hudson Link Executive Director Sean Pica was honored this week to present at the 2018 International Forum of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities in Dallas, TX alongside representatives from our partner school Nyack College.

In a session dedicated to the role of Christian colleges in prison education, Sean and Nyack adjunct professor Cynthia Dorsey presented alongside representatives from Ashland University, Calvin College, and Wheaton College. The workshop covered program history, best practices in program development, effective partnership with corrections departments, and the role of technology in the prison classroom.

"As we head into our organization's twentieth year, it feels amazing to sit with others who are as passionate as we are about doing this work," Sean said of the panel. "I am always grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the success of our partners around the country."

"The sudden withdrawal of public funding proved a death knell for college-in-prison programs around the country," writes Kritika Agarwal in the January 2018 issue of Perspectives on History, the newsmagazine of the American Historical Association. "With ordinary citizens struggling to pay for college, the case for college-in-prison simply could not pass political muster. Yet people in prison and on the outside started taking matters into their own hands. In 1998, for example, a group of incarcerated men at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York, set out to create a college program after theirs shut down due to lack of public funding." Read more!