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Greetings Friends,
On August 19th, we were blessed to witness the graduation of 22 incarcerated students, the first graduating Associate of Arts cohort of the Eastern University Prison Education Program.
On graduation day, I went to congratulate a favorite student, who was standing with a well dressed couple. I asked if this was my student’s family. He replied that they were the parents of the victim of his crime. “I wanted them to be here today, so that they could see how seriously I take my reformation,” the student said.
This fall, I stepped up from my role as instructor to serve as the new director of the program, and Mary Johnson was promoted to Assistant Director. We are so grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve our students in the coming years.
The PEP class of 2025 is currently studying Biblical Literature, Chemistry, and Writing for Stage and Screen, and fulfilling their remaining requirements as they move towards their final two semesters. Dr. Valerie Flower, Program Director of the Theater Department, reports that students in her course are “not only eager to write and share their scripts in class, but also to support one another with inspired readings of the characters their peers have created. The level of mutual support and artistic camaraderie is a beautiful thing."
Tutors from the Petey Greene Program, who we were so happy to support at their annual Going Greene fundraiser this Fall, are providing one on one help with classwork. In addition, PEP graduates are being trained as mentors for their former classmates and to the new students who will arrive to begin their program in Spring of 2025.
With so many inspiring things happening at PEP, I want to make sure that you, as part of our community, are kept in the loop! You can always learn more about what’s going on by following us on facebook and instagram, or checking out eastern.edu/prisoned. The program couldn’t exist without this community, and we value all the ways you contribute!
I hope we’ll have a chance to meet and work together in the coming year!
Sincerely,
Cara Blouin
Program Director
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