“My college degree taught me that anything is possible when you show someone how to love themselves, through accountability, vulnerability and education.”

Prison forced me to be still and start my mental metamorphosis.

A software change in my prison-issued electronic tablet ate up my drafts and eliminated basic writing tools. That may sound minor, but try sending a poem to your kid without line breaks.

His disrespectful classroom antics could have sparked a fight. But as a former “hard case” myself, I was determined to help him.

Jy’Aire Smith-Pennick suffered multiple traumas before age 18. He masked his pain with Percocet, weed and drug-selling. Now, at a Pennsylvania prison with the right programs, he’s finally starting to heal.

I barely remember my birthplace, Jamaica, and I have no family left there. Frankly, I’m terrified.

“I wondered if I knew more of their history if I would still view them the same way.”