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Mercy College conferred 28 Bachelor of Science and Associate of Science degrees to graduates of the Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison (Hudson Link) program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York on June 7, 2023. Mercy College’s partnership with Hudson Link began in 2001, and since then, Mercy has awarded more than 300 degrees to its graduates. This graduation ceremony also marked the 1,000th degree awarded by Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison over its twenty-five-year history.  

"Mercy College has built a reputation for helping our students break the barriers which stand in their way of earning a degree, and we’re proud to have that transformative education extend to the prison population at Sing Sing,” Tim Hall, president of Mercy College, said. “This program with Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison is incredibly special to Mercy and to the faculty who travel to the prison to teach. We watch them grow intellectually beyond what they might have imagined for themselves, and then we watch them graduate; seeing the inmates with degrees in hand is one of the most powerful commencement moments for us each year."

Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison was established in 1998 to address the lack of access to higher education for people during and after their involvement with the justice system. The organization helps provide college education, life skills, and reentry support to currently and formerly incarcerated people. Their holistic program structure follows each student through their academic and reentry journey with services such as college readiness support, on-site academic coordinators, tutoring and computer labs.

“I was in the conversations that helped to start Hudson Link twenty-five years ago here at Sing Sing Correctional Facility and was in our first graduating class,” Sean Pica, executive director, said. “It has been unbelievable to see how far we’ve grown as an organization and witness the incredible work our alumni have gone to do in their communities. I am super excited to be hosting this graduation with Mercy College, our partners at the New York State Department of Corrections, and to be part of history by helping to award over 1,000 degrees to Hudson Link students.”

Joel Jimenez, Hudson Link program director, who oversees Hudson Link’s academic programming across all six program sites, said, “Sing Sing has always been close to my heart because I spent six years of my incarceration in that facility, earning both my associate and bachelor's degree, as well as coordinating the Sing Sing site when returning home. Looking back at my transformation and the lives of so many of our alumni over the years, I firmly believe that education is one of the great equalizers an incarcerated person could have. I want all our students to know that their dreams and goals don’t end here.”  

The day’s keynote speaker, Jon-Adrian Valazquez, also a graduate of the Hudson Link program and New York State Program Director of the Fredrick Douglas Project, addressed the audience with a feeling of pride: “When I left prison 21 months ago, I had no idea where my life would be, but right now, I wouldn't change it for anything. In that time, I went from the big house to the . Hudson Link is a home base when you're released and has taught us not to give up on ourselves. You will all be successful if you want it.”  

Sing Sing Correctional Facility Superintendent Michael Capra stated, " Over the last 11 years as Superintendent at Sing Sing, I've watched the men not only dream but take action in changing their lives through education, as well as paying that forward by launching incredible events and programs. I couldn't be prouder of today's graduates and everyone who helped to provide this life-enriching opportunity." 

"I stand here as a proud man, husband, father, uncle, son, friend, and now the valedictorian of the class of 2023. My graduating class battled COVID, facility lockdowns, and the everyday stresses of life in prison while making it to class every night, but we made it through,” Michael H., the 2023 class valedictorian, shared. “We overcame all adversities just to be here today. It was all worth it. This is just one of the many ways we will show the world we are worth more than our worst mistakes. Education was the first step to redemption. It’s now time to apply what we learned.”