The visitors’ room at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center (MECC) is a place of hard surfaces. There are tile floors, cinderblock walls, glass dividers and heavy steel doors. But on May 14, the room echoed loudly with the sounds of celebration.
Roughly 100 guests made the drive to Pacific, Mo., to honor new graduates of the School of Continuing & Professional Studies’ (CAPS) Prison Education Project (PEP). Eleven students earned associate in arts degrees. A twelfth earned a bachelor’s degree in integrated studies.
“There’s a lot of emotion going on today,” said Nathan Barry, who was preparing to deliver the student address. As friends and family cleared security, Barry watched the room fill with hugs and handshakes, grins and laughter, shining eyes and anxious smiles. “I’m overwhelmed.”
Barry’s uncle, Calvin Barry, glowed with pride. “I’ve seen him grow so much — mentally, emotionally, spiritually. I knew he had it in him. I told him, ‘If you can come out of here with a degree, there’s nothing you can’t do.’”
The path was not easy. After joining PEP in 2022, Barry’s first assignment was to write a short story about his personal journey — and then to read it aloud. “My knees rattled,” he explained in his remarks. “My hands shook. My voice cracked.”
In grade school, Barry had been ridiculed by classmates and underestimated by adults. Recalling that experience “was traumatic for me. I had never shared it with anyone.” Then, in 2023, a death in the family followed by a medical emergency left him distraught. In fall 2024, just months from graduation, Barry seriously considered dropping out.
“It’s really hard to get your degree in here,” said Allison Reed, a counselor with the Missouri Department of Corrections, who works with Barry and other PEP students. Outsiders might think that the incarcerated have nothing but time. In reality, “there are a lot of distractions.
“Sometimes there are negative voices telling them not to bother,” Reed added. “It’s incredibly inspiring when guys can tune that out, refocus their attention, and prove people wrong. They should be really proud of what they have accomplished.”
‘The heart of this program’
PEP was launched at the MECC in 2014. Since 2022, it also has offered classes at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Mo. To date, PEP has awarded more than 60 degrees, with more than 30 alumni returning home to the St. Louis area.
The May 14 commencement was the program’s fourth at MECC and fifth overall. Two days earlier, a crowd of 13,000 had gathered on WashU’s Francis Olympic Field, where Chancellor Andrew D. Martin conferred roughly 3,600 degrees. This was a smaller affair, but no less moving.
As a brass quartet played “Pomp and Circumstance,” Martin, Provost Beverly Wendland and CAPS Dean Sean Armstrong led PEP faculty, students and guest speakers in a stately procession across the room. From a low stage, interim program administrator Savannah Sowell, flanked by ferns, greeted the assembly.
“The men you see before you today have all worked incredibly hard to be here,” Sowell said. “They have taken on challenging course loads while balancing institutional jobs, leadership roles in other programs, and difficult personal circumstances.
“They are the heart of this program and demonstrate every day what it means to be a WashU student.”
‘Miracles can happen’
Alumnus Solomon Evans presented the Maggie Garb Community Leadership Award, named for the late PEP co-founder and professor of history in Arts & Sciences, to graduate Brantz Heisler. Scott Weiss, a senior advancement writer who has taught PEP courses on antiquity and Roman slavery, presented the Danny Kohl Award for Best Essay to graduate Steven Schnell.
“Steve completed a capstone paper about ancient Stoicism and its contemporary relevance,” Weiss said. “His argument persuasively suggests that Stoic thought offers valuable lessons for how to process emotions … and makes a powerful case for the enriching qualities of reading ancient literature.”
Rebecca O’Laughlin, CAPS student pathways manager, inducted nine graduates into the Alpha Sigma Lambda honor society. Armstrong introduced graduation speaker the Rev. George Chochos, executive director of Bethesda Mission, a Harrisburg, Pa., nonprofit combatting homelessness.
“I entered the infamous Sing Sing prison in 2001,” Chochos began. “Experiencing reality through metal bars forced me to critically reflect on my life, and I knew I wanted to change.” In 2004, Chochos enrolled in the Bard Prison Initiative, earning both associate and bachelor’s degrees. He later earned a master’s degree from the New York Theological Seminary and, in 2013, became the first formerly incarcerated person accepted by Yale Divinity School.
“I mention these stories to encourage you,” Chochos said. “Graduates! The education you have received, yes, it’s for you, but its impact is so much bigger than you could ever imagine. People in this system as well as those on the outside need your ideas and your brilliance.
“When desire meets opportunity, miracles can happen.”
Resilience and perseverance
Interim PEP director Kilinyaa Cothran introduced Barry. Taking a deep breath, he described the difficulties he’d faced and how close they’d come to breaking him. But he also described how conversations with friends, family and staff ultimately convinced him to continue his studies.
“The pursuit of a college degree can be a grueling process for anyone, but especially for someone who has added life circumstances,” Barry said. “The path that you have had to walk in order to make it to this moment, to this stage, may not look like the students on the main campus. It may not look the same as the path of the person sitting next to you. It may not look the same as mine.
“However, every single one of us has had to unlock our resilience,” Barry said. “We have had to persevere.”
As graduates received their diplomas, the close quarters lent particular intimacy to the cheers of the audience.
“That’s my baby!”
“Yeah Ryan!”
“That’s my boy!”
“Yay Marcus!”
Wendland reflected on the recent address by Olympic champion and WashU Commencement speaker Simone Biles (whose name drew further cheers). Biles “never set out to become the G.O.A.T., the greatest of all time,” Wendland said. “She set out to become the best that she could be.
“I know that you, Barry, are doing that,” Wendland said. Turning to the larger group, she added: “Keep being the best you that you can be.”
“Class of 2025, I’m proud to be with you today to celebrate your incredible achievements,” Chancellor Martin said. “Against all odds and obstacles, you have persisted through the challenges of pursuing higher education while incarcerated. You should be incredibly proud of reaching this milestone.”
After conferring degrees, Martin directed attendees to the commencement program and the lyrics of the WashU Alma Mater.
“We’re now going to rise, remove our caps, and we’re going to sing,” Martin said.
“Loudly.”
