I’ve lived the first half of my adult life in darkness. Prison, gangs, conflict, violence. By the time I turned 30, I had spent more than 13 years in correctional facilities, including a total of nearly a decade in solitary confinement.

That same year, education saved my life. A grant from the Sunshine Lady Foundation funded a two-year degree program at the prison where I was housed. I’d always been inclined toward learning, reading eclectically, and debating ideas with other bookworms. But I had no formal education beyond ninth grade, and no clue what to expect. What I experienced in my first classes — including ones on Asian philosophy and animal behavior — was nothing short of a religious conversion. It changed everything for me.

For me, education was a source of light. Literature pul

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