Santos Rosado experienced a tumultuous childhood that led him to addiction early in his life. Over the next 30 years, Santos experienced incarceration and missed valuable opportunities to learn new skills, meet caring mentors and receive the support he needed to accomplish his goals.
After being released from prison, Santos moved to a transitional home and was encouraged to enroll in classes at Palomar College, where his studies “provided a clear understanding of the catalyst of [his] negative behaviors” and introduced him to mentors like Dr. Nora Kenney, who heads up Palomar College’s Transition program.
Formerly incarcerated students face harmful stigmas and steep challenges as they transition from prison to community college— but creating visibility on their successful journeys into higher education can end the cycle. In Episode 10 of Higher Education Coffee and Conversation, Santos and Dr. Kenney shared how institutions can serve students by telling their unique stories equally and how everyone can benefit from the experiences students bring to community college.
Transforming lives through higher education
At Palomar College, formerly incarcerated students pursuing a higher education receive various resources on and off campus to support their success. On campus, the Transition Program helps students with housing, employment, wraparound services, educational plans, laptop loans and provides summer cohort classes. At the Vista Detention Facility, off-campus incarcerated students can access credit classes and in-person professors for additional support.
“Support can look like anything from helping students learn new technology to helping students with enrollment,” explains Dr. Kenney.
“After I completed psychology and sociology classes, I realized the negative experiences that contributed to who I was,” Santos says, “now I’m motivated to continue my education for a better future.”
Today, Santos is certified as a Drug and Alcohol Counselor. He coaches recruits who enter the program on coping with sobriety, managing the challenges of re-entering society, and staying focused on getting a higher education.
Serving student challenges to increase success
The biggest challenge for Santos was technology– which is a challenge even for people who have not been incarcerated. But in prison institutions, internet access presents security concerns, and the students in these systems pay the price.
“Santos, like many of his peers, is rejoining society in a time where everyone is heavily reliant on technology— a completely new language,” Dr. Kenney explains.
Dr, Kenney herself experienced the language barrier firsthand when she emailed a student directions to open an Internet link, to which the student responded, what’s a link? At that moment, she recognized the importance of being accessible and creating a patient learning environment for students to receive support.
For every student, the path to new perspectives and a better future becomes clear when students receive the tools to develop an adequate support system, access caring mentors, and create social networks that help students stay connected.
How to support students through transition services
Palomar College is an exemplary model for student resource programs. Dr. Kenney recommends a thoughtful approach to boost programs designed to improve students’ journeys.
- Develop a positive community of support
Students need access to a community that can support their various needs. For example, when students are struggling with sobriety, they contact Santos, and when Santos is working with technology, he calls another peer for help— a true community partnership.
“Facilitating student connections is important for situations where students may feel more comfortable asking each other for help versus faculty,” says Dr. Kenney.
Palomar College also does weekly check-ins with students and is considering adding office hours to give students more access to one-on-one support.
2. Help students navigate new systems
Ensure your program has services in place to help students complete college requirements as needed or put them in contact with someone who can.
All new systems create learning curves. A big one for new students is enrolling in college– especially on your own. Palomar College partners with TRIO, a service that helps students complete their college and FAFSA applications, to provide tremendous support.
3. Create networks to stay connected
At Palomar College, the summer cohort classes reinforce student connections and introduce them to instructors who have also completed journeys through higher education for additional support.
“Having mentors who are there every step of the way and peers who have been in the program for various periods makes a huge difference,” says Dr. Kenney.
Sharing students’ stories equally matters
By sharing formerly incarcerated students’ stories and how colleges are serving their journeys in higher education, colleges build communities on campus and help to educate others that the college is committed to serving students equally.
“The most important thing in anyone’s life is knowing they are supported, welcomed, and accepted— that makes life so much easier,” Santos explains.
Dr. Kenney understands there are probably people on campus who are not in favor of the program. Still, she has received nothing but overwhelming support from faculty who have become allies and now attend events.
Dr. Kenney believes sharing each student’s story will humanize their experiences in the cycle of addiction and poverty and remove any fears of the public derived from misunderstanding.
Why visibility in serving students matters
“Santos’s story showcases the criminalization of addiction and how debilitating it can be,” says Dr. Kenney, “but there are thriving communities of campuses dedicated to serving these students, too.”
Across California, students in Transition programs perform statistically better than their peers. Professors who teach in jails also report these experiences are “the highlight of their careers,” says Dr. Kenney.
She believes telling these students’ stories will not only deter harmful stigmas and spotlight the systemic issues with incarceration in the U.S. but also help students reach their goals and full potential.
“I believe if students have the chance to tell their stories, everyone will understand where we’ve been and why we are motivated to give back to society as much as we can,” Santos explains.
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This article is based on an episode of Higher Education Coffee & Conversation, a podcast featuring higher education experts to discuss trends in marketing, communications, advancement, and student success. Subscribe via Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so that you don’t miss future episodes!
