Testimonial by Jeramia duPre

I have never in my life felt the level of self-worth I felt when I put on my cap and gown and walked at the graduation ceremony. 

— Jeramia duPre

When I was 19, I was living a life that would have ultimately led to death or prison. Luckily for me the latter happened first. I was given a 6-to-26-year sentence for robbery and was sent to the Northern Nevada Correctional Center (NNCC). I was young, scared and had no idea how much of that 26-year sentence I would be serving. 

I had only a GED. I realized that I could better myself and instead of wasting my time, I put it to good use. I started with a couple of courses and gave it my all. I found that I enjoyed it immensely. I kept at it and received a Certificate of Business and an AAS in Business, graduating with a 3.97 GPA. 

I have never in my life felt the level of self-worth I felt when I put on my cap and gown and walked at the graduation ceremony. Sharing that achievement with my family and friends was the proudest day of my life up to that point. I went from a convicted felon serving a lengthy sentence to a college graduate.

On top of getting an education, I gained many life skills from attending WNCC. The confidence and self-worth I gained was paramount and I found myself looking at the world and myself in a completely different light. I realized that I was more than my worst mistake and that I had value. The time and effort that instructors put into teaching made me want to give them the same back. I learned accountability, responsibility, integrity, and work ethics. The man I am today was built on the building blocks of wisdom and experiences from those nights sitting in classrooms.

I was released a few years after I graduated and filled that time taking every other program offered in the prison. I decided to continue my education and enrolled in university once released. I completed my BS in Business and then graduate studies for my MBA after that.  

It has been many years since I was released.  I am now a successful business owner and an advocate for the formally incarcerated. I volunteer in prisons and mentor formally incarcerated people. We can and do change if given the opportunity—but for that to happen, the resources have to be there.