Your work in the field of prison education is insightful and inspiring. The classroom made being in a strange new world eerily familiar and safe. Continuing my education helped me re-enter society in a way that allowed me to be in a space I understood and feel comfortable in. When I entered Yale, the classroom felt just like any other classroom I had been in - in or out of prison. I used my role as a student in prison as a way to engage the world. How has your continued pursuit of education helped shape your career and personal life?

You’ve earned a variety of degrees throughout your educational journey and are currently a Ph.D. He said he was so glad he came because it gave him hope to not give up but move forward. He told me he was about to give up because of how many years he had in prison ahead of him. One example: After I spoke at Eastern Correctional Facility, I received a letter from one of the men in the program who wasn’t planning on attending the meeting I was participating in. When I look into the eyes of the men and women in prison, whether at a graduation or a site visit, I see hope. What do you find rewarding about your work? In your role with the Vera Institute of Justice, you provide assistance to college-in-prison programs. Studying the humanities opened up a window into the world that I never knew existed and it allowed me to envision a once seemingly impossible future. How did your humanities education within the prison system help to transform your life? Through my education, I found the will to dream while living in a nightmare. From there I went to Eastern and was one of 15 people accepted into Bard College through the Bard Prison Initiative. I started to see a different life was possible, even in prison. I met the graduate students and their brilliance drew me in. But in the first year of my 14-year sentence, I accidentally walked into a classroom and found out there was a master's program available. When I entered Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York State, I was told there were no college programs. While incarcerated, my faith conversion and educational journey began. Can you share a turning point in your life that crystallized your passion for this work?

You’re also committed to advancing prison and criminal legal system reform and advocacy. You describe yourself as a system-impacted scholar and practitioner. In advance of his visit to Blacksburg, Chochos answered five questions about his life and mission. Sylvester Johnson, the center's director and associate vice provost for public interest technology, and a team of Virginia Tech students recently participated in a prison education pilot program. The Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and the Center for Humanities welcome Chochos as keynote speaker for Humanities Week. Chochos's involvement in prison education initiatives aligns with efforts by the Center for Humanities to help expand educational opportunities in the prison system. He joined the institute in 2020 as a senior federal policy associate to work on Pell reinstatement for incarcerated students. He's also a senior program associate with the social justice organization Vera Institute, where he supports college-in-prison programs. He graduated with a second master's degree in the humanities in 2016.Ĭhochos is now a Ph.D. He then completed his master's degree in Urban Ministry from New York Theology Seminary after receiving high marks on his 162-page thesis.įollowing his release from prison, Chochos gained acceptance to Yale Divinity School.

Within a few years, Chochos had turned his focus to urban economics and sociology research, engaged with prolific scholars, and learned how to critique theory.īy 2010, Chochos had earned an associates and two bachelor's degrees. The program began with grammar, writing, introductory logic, and formal-informal reasoning classes. From a pool of 150 applicants, only 15 were granted admission to the program.Ĭhochos secured one of the coveted spots. He learned about a competitive prison education program called the Bard Prison Initiative. After several stints in jail, a string of bank robberies led to his felony conviction and lengthy prison sentence in New York.Ībout a year into his sentence, Chochos vowed to walk a new path through education. Nearly 12 years after entering prison, George Chochos emerged with a renewed sense of purpose - and four college degrees.Ĭhochos struggled with trauma and addiction throughout his 20s.

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