[photo of Orlando]

Orlando H. Harris

Today is the culmination of all the hard work, persevere, and desire to be a productive member of society. Education is key. I've heard this throughout my lifetime and it sounds so cliché, but it's true. Education is the key. It has given me a sense of accomplishment, self-worth, and above all, choices. I must admit there were times when I felt like giving up but because of my fellow students, instructors, and family, I continued to press on and today I stand before you receiving my Associate of Arts degree. I would like to thank Jennifer Scaife who consistently pestered me to pursue my education. I would also like to thank Jody Lewen for always providing the opportunity for the men to gain a higher education. I also want to acknowledge all Patten staff and volunteers for their unyielding support. And, last but not least, my mother and my wife for believing in me and encouraging me to be better.

[photo of Danny]

Danny Ho

I am thankful for the remarkable journey that Patten University has allowed me to take. What the PUP staff and volunteers have done truly moves me —your daily and weekly care and effort— it's like a second family. I am the product of your hard work. For this reason, I express my deepest appreciation and respect to the following staff, instructor, and tutors:

Tria Andrews, Lauren Baker, Michelle Blaisdell, Will Bondurant, Nancy Bourne, Adam Bradley, Tara Brown, Krista Brune, Sara Bummer, Xan Chacko, Emily Chu, Frank Chuang, Sandy Claire, John Cook, Alison Cordeiro, Jane Courant, Mia Crary, Sanders Creasy, Kathryn Crim, Matt Culler, Patrick Donnelly, James Dyett, Elizabeth Eager, Laurel Eckhouse, Scott Falcone, Dr. Jennifer Fisher, Adriane Fresh, Katrina Fullman, Rebecca Gaydos, Nicholas Gooding, Baruch Gould M. Div, Dan Hammer, Grace Harpster, Heather Hart, Amanda Howell, Diane Huyah, Amy Jamgochian, Diana Johnson, Maria Joseph, Jeff Kaplan, Brian Katz, Rebecca Kling, Connie Krosney, Jody Lewen, Troy Lionberger, Allison Lopez, Jennifer Mackenzie, Ryan McGorty, Jose Perez Melendez, Stephanie Moore, Melissa Nelken, Geoffrey O'Brien, Elisabeth Ostrow, Randy Pendleton, Rachel Robbins, Brock Robers, Vera Shapirshteyn, Emma Si Nae, Daniel Stid, Viraj Talwar, Neil Terpkosh, Aris Theologis, Alissa Tong, Sonja Tonnesen, Moe Turner, Kara Urion, Dr. Goolrukh Vakil, Rick Van Adelsbery, David Weissman, Aaron Wiegel, Diane Wiener, Adam Williamson, and Simon Woodward.

I pray that God continues to give you good health, happiness, and a long fruitful life on this earth. Thank you for being such wonderful and caring human beings.

Last, and most of all, I would like to thank my family, especially my daughters Dorothy and Kimberly, for their love and support.

With profound gratitude,
Danny Ho

[photo of Zakee]

Edwin "Zakee" Hutchinson

Education is power and this human connection through learning is the key to personal and occupational success. Through education, Patten University helps to refashion the compassions and perceptions of individuals by introducing and linking them to a broader life. It is education that encourages us in becoming the advocates for change in oneself, programs, cultures, and value systems of our society. Education gave me the capacity to learn new skills and venture into areas of not knowing as a way to increase my power and effectiveness as a positive and productive member of society. Truly, education challenged me to think about things differently and opened up the realms to greater levels of creativity and possibilities of a brighter future...

[black and white photo of Isiah]

Isiah Fields

Prior to coming to prison I never took education seriously. However, all that changed when I became aware of Patten University at San Quentin.

Immediately following my arrest I knew I needed to change the direction of my life, and I knew formal education would be a key component. After getting my high school diploma in the county jail, I acquired a thirst for knowledge that I would quench by reading and studying everything I could get my hands on. Little did I know I was preparing to meet the challenges Patten University demands of their students. The Patten curriculum offers a wide range of studies where I was able to engage in intellectual exchanges between my fellow students and our instructors. Classes such as philosophy and psychology required that we take a deeper look into what people believe and why they believe it. Math and science really helped me to develop academic processes of systematically solving problems, providing empirical evidence, and offering a hypothesis that can test one's theory. English taught us effective communication and critical thinking through enhanced writing skills.

The instructors set the tone for mutual respect. Patten provides us with top level graduate students and professors from the country's finest universities and it's been a pleasure learning from them. They demanded the same level of work from us that they would expect from any other university students while acknowledging our obvious limitations because of the prison condition. I am forever grateful for their kindness and dedication.

My fellow students are the best. I found at Patten some of the most dedicated students any school would be proud to have. We worked together creating an atmosphere of collective action geared toward success. Men who once stomped prison yards with menacing expressions now confidently stroll to class always with a welcoming smile and extending a hand of friendship. Our study groups were always focused on developing well-thought out positions during debates. I always knew I could turn to my fellow students if I ever needed help. The graduates ahead of me paved the way and I am honored to graduate with this class.

Last but not least, I really want to thank the Patten staff. When I started at Patten one of hte main things that stuck out was how caring the staff was. The staff that once included Regina, Kara, and Amanda have been replaced with Amy, Allison, Neil, Heather and our mainstay Simon. Replacing staff can be problematic but under the direction of Jody Lewen, Patten has been able to maintain the highest quality educational program.

I want to thank God who makes all things possible. I would also like to thank my family who would include my mother and father who stood by me, my daughter who is the apple of my eye, and my beautiful wife who is the smartest person I know and who could do a million times better than me. So thank you Patten for a quality education, one that has prepared me to engage in the world productively.

[photo of Robert]

Robert I. Butler III

Without my degree, these statements are not possible:

I do not choose to be a common man
It is my right to be uncommon —
if I can
I seek opportunity, not security
I do not wish to be a kept citizen,
humbled and dulled by having the
state look after me.
I want to take the calculated risk,
to dream and to build, to fail and
to succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.
I prefer the challenges of life to a
guaranteed existence, the thrill of
fulfillment to the stale calm of Utopia.
I will not trade freedom for beneficence,
nor dignity for a handout.
It is my heritage to think and to act
for myself, enjoy the benefit of my
creations, and to face the world
boldly and say, "With God's help,
this I have done."

[childhood photo of Alexei]

Alexei Ruiz
Unforgettable Life Lessons

I joined Patten with the idea that it would please my mother. My mother always preached education and continues to do so knowing the value of it. Little did I know that as the years went by Patten would bring lots of joy into my life.

I will never forget the day I was introduced to Patten. I had just arrived to S.Q. when a friend, Nene, introduced me to Jennifer Scaife, then Inside Program Coordinator. I had practically been away from civilization for approximately 12 years without any type of social interaction with outside people. As we were introduced, Jennifer reached out her hand to shake mine and I was in shock. I did not know what to do. It took me a few seconds to process the situation and respond accordingly. Looking back, not only had it been a while since an outside had reached out a hand to shake mine but for the first time in a long time, it felt like someone had reached out acknowledging my humanity. That was just the beginning.

Semesters went by and all I met were compassionate, passionate volunteers who, I have a feeling, have no idea the impact they have on the lives of others. I witnessed a teacher, on a rainy evening, walk into the classroom soaking wet with a glowing face radiating excitement, carrying containers with cow brains for dissection. I will never forget that evening because I learned more than a Biology lesson; I learned a life lesson. I learned that when you do something form the heart something that you believe is worth doing without expecting anything back, the joy you get out of it is insurmountable. I learned that I could make a difference in this would if I desire to do so.

To all PUP staff and volunteers who made this experience happen, who blessed me with some of their knowledge, who taught me some valuable lessons, thank you. Thank you for inspiring me to believe in myself and inspiring me to reach for the stars. Above all, thank you for bringing joy into my life.

[photo of Mark and others standing behind pink racing tape]

Mark Tedeschi

I am extremely grateful for the dedication of the volunteer instructors and tutors of the Prison University Project. Thanks to them, the dream of obtaining a college degree has become a reality. Receiving a high quality education has boosted my self-esteem and confidence. This has given me a new-found sense of hope and optimism, which I will carry with me when I reintegrate into society. I will truly cherish the memories of instructors, volunteers, and students who have taken this journey with me.

Day's Events

Procession of Graduates
_______

Welcome
Philip Melendez

Keynote Speech
Sean Pica, Executive Director, Hudson Link for Education in Prison

Valedictorian
Timothy Warren

Performance
NSF

Presentation of Patten University Diplomas
Abraham Antonio Rueles, Ph.D. Dean of Academics, Patten University Marc Porter, Dept. Chair of Business & Management, Patten University Jody Lewen, Ph.D., Executive Director, Prison University Project

Closing Remarks
Jody Lewen
_______

Recession of Graduates

2016 GRADUATES

Robert I. Butler III
Isiah Fields
Orlando Harris
Danny Ho
→ Edwin "Zakee" Hutchinson
Mark Tedeschi
Alexei Ruiz
Timothy Warren
_______

PERFORMERS

NSF
is comprised of:
Rico Wilbert, Darryl Farris, Lee Jaspar, Jimmy Rojas, Paul Comauex and Dwight Krizman

[childhood photo of Timothy]

Timothy Warren

I've probably done more talking in the last two years that I've been at Patten University than I've done the entire 11 1/2 years I've been incarcerated. No lie. With that being said, if I don't speak when I see you, don't trip; I'm probably still salty about participation points I didn't earn, burnt out from classroom presentations, or just daydreaming about my release date.

I would like to give a special thanks to my instructors, PUP staff, and everybody else who made obtaining a quality level education here at San Quentin possible. This has been a journey that I'm sincerely grateful to have experienced.

Acknowledgements

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the San Quentin administration. In particular, we'd like to thank Warden Ron Davis, Chief Deputy Warden Kelly Mitchell, AW Gary Forncrook, Captain John Ippolito, Lt. Sam Robinson, and Lt. Donald Graham, for their support over the past year.

For their support with the commencement ceremony and clearances, we would like to extend our thanks to Sgt. Chris Siino, Steve Emrick, and Cory Georgeson. Many thanks as well to Raphaele Casale and Christine Remillard for their ongoing support and assistance.

We would also like to thank the photographers, Linn Lee and Eddie Herena, and the videographers, Brooks Knudsen and Adam Eckenfelder.

For their efforts to keep classes running smoothly and all of their support in Education, we would like to thanks Officer Sanford, Officer Reyes, Officer Guyton, and Officer Foster, as well as the other custody staff who enable this program to run inside San Quentin's walls. Our gratitude also goes out to Officer Wood and Officer Yatabe for their outstanding help in bringing our volunteers into San Quentin efficiently.

We also want to express our thanks to the folks in the warehouse. In particular, we'd like to recognize Bob Cutting, who does an amazing job to ensure that we receive all the materials we need in order to run classes.

Additional thanks to Steve Pascascio for sound engineering and technical assistance.

Finally, we give tremendous thanks to our volunteers, without whom there would be no College Program at San Quentin.

Prison University Project

The mission of the Prison University Project is to provide excellent higher education programs to people incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison; to create a replicable model for such programs; and to stimulate public awareness and meaningful dialogue about higher education and criminal justice in California.

https://prisonuniversityproject.org

[photo of smiling graduates in robes]
Patten University at San Quentin
Prison University Project

COMMENCEMENT 2016

SAN QUENTIN, VISITING ROOM

FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2016