从囚犯到大学毕业生

Tony Acevedo spent more than 13 years incarcerated at Otisville Correctional Facility in New York, an experience that left him doubtful of opportunities promising a better future.

Still, he had long been curious about going to college. That opportunity arose in 2022, when he enrolled in the City University of New York’s Prison-to-College Pathways Pipeline program, which offers incarcerated students the chance to earn an associate degree.

“It all started with a poster posted in the housing unit where I used to live in Otisville Correctional Facility that said if you want to go to college, you can come to an information session,” Acevedo said. “I was very skeptical at the time. I was incarcerated for 13 years and I’m like, ‘Well, let’s see if this is true,’ because there’s a lot of distrust in the system.”

After meeting with program staff, Acevedo said, his skepticism began to fade.

He started taking classes in English and sociology and grew motivated to take his education seriously. In 2024, Acevedo was released midway through the program and continued his education at the Borough of Manhattan Community College.现年 40 岁的他最近获得了文科副学士学位。

As a graduate of the program, Acevedo returned to Otisville in May for a commencement ceremony held inside the correctional facility—the first of its kind for both BMCC and the CUNY system, according to university leaders. He found the ceremony especially meaningful because it gave him the chance to watch two former classmates earn the same degree they had begun pursuing together.

“My nervousness was in fear of returning to a place where so many negative things had happened,” Acevedo said. “But I wanted to go and show them that I’m not only killing it, but that these men are going to kill it as well.”

The first two students completed their degrees in spring 2025, followed by four more graduates in this spring. All six were recognized during the commencement ceremony held at Otisville in May.