How lucky I am to embark on the college experience from behind prison walls, and blessed that it comes from a Christian perspective.

I grew up in the church, and was baptized when I was six years old on Easter Sunday, 1989. I remember the day vividly. My grandmother woke me up earlier than ever before to tell me about the relationship I would claim with God as I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Six-year old me didn’t understand any of that. I was more excited because I knew my grandmother kept my favorite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, on hand.

I got to the church, waited in line with the others to be baptized, and then the pastor dunked me in the water. Not only was I claiming a relationship with God, but it was also an invitation to participate in church functions. From then on, I actively participated in various youth programs, starting with the choir, the usher board, Bible study, and the step-team, just to name a few. While going to church was initially required at the behest of my grandmother, I willfully and gleefully participated in the aforementioned activities. Afterall, most, if not all, of my family and friends, and even some of my schoolteachers, went to this same church.

Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church was a vibrant and impactful part of the community, often hosting different community outreach efforts and various church services throughout the week, as well as choir rehearsal and Bible study. Simply put, it was the place to be at any given day throughout the week. What we had, as I’ve come to learn now, is Shalom, a wholeness, a flourishing community in harmony with each other and God’s wonderful love.

As I’m sure is the case for many CPI participants, I strayed from my church, my community of flourishment, and found myself on a destructive downward cycle where I wasn’t loving all of God’s creation, including myself. Since my incarceration, I’ve been searching for my place and purpose behind these prison walls. I wanted to do more than to just be good to get out of prison. I needed to surround myself with others who shared my beliefs in God and in community. I desired to be around those who longed for something more than just being good, but doing good as well; I sought those who desired a harmonious relationship with one another in communion with God.

This year, I found that community with Calvin University via the Calvin Prison Initiative. At first, I thought of this experience as just an opportunity to get an education — but I am getting so much more. I am learning about the loving community that God created for us filled with Shalom. I can only imagine all the work needed to make CPI a success, the pieces that have had to come together, the behind the scenes mechanics to bring the college experience to a prison — despite all the naysayers, the challenges and all the obstacles. For this reason, I opened this dialogue by expressing how lucky I am to embark on this college opportunity, and the blessing that it comes from a Christian perspective gleaned unto me at such an early age.

I recall my first class of the semester where Professor Aleen Rose opened the class with a devotion and Scripture:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5.

In that moment, I knew I had found my community. The same glee and will I demonstrated as a young child serving my church community, I now feel at each and every class. Each and every lecture is a gift and is being used as preparation for my vocation in God’s Kingdom.