CDCR incarcerated students are seeing the positive impact of education.
Two people with firsthand experience are Paul Wiley and Jesse Sotelo, incarcerated students at California Medical Facility (CMF) in Vacaville.
Sotelo enrolled in Professor Sean Gregory’s statistics course over the summer.
“In the past, I struggled with education. I didn’t get my GED until 25 years old,” Sotelo explained. “I never thought I was good enough to go to college. Now, after coming here, I found out I am smart (and) I could be that person.”
Sotelo finally decided to pursue his education since he wanted to be a positive role model to his children. He said he hopes to inspire them to earn their college degrees.
Watch the video (story continues below):
Wiley enrolled in Professor Turney’s speech class over the summer.
Wiley wanted to further his education as he felt that there was more to him than just being an incarcerated person.
“I needed to further my education,” said Wiley. “I would come across certain words and I couldn’t really understand. (So,) I had to get a dictionary (but) I knew there was more to me. I wanted to be a better person.”
Sotelo and Wiley are just two of many incarcerated students working towards enriching themselves and those around them through their active participation in educational programming.
Video and story by Matthew Sichler, associate governmental program analyst
Division of Rehabilitative Programs, DRP Media, Creative Services
Read more rehabilitation stories.
Follow CDCR on YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter).
Related content
Painting Over It: Healing through arts at CIM
Damian Reyes entered the correctional system and faced a challenging new reality of rehabilitation and recovery. Over the course of his incarceration, and now at…
Read More
Transforming lives: How CDCR is redefining prison education
A sprawling education system, complete with accredited adult schools, college classes and career training designed to transform lives, exists within…
Read More
Why CSP‑Solano’s vocational programs are on the rise
When Summer Peterson officially started at California State Prison (CSP) Solano, last September, she came with an understanding of the rehabilitative…
Read More