18 incarcerated women make history by earning Northwestern degrees

Eighteen incarcerated women in Illinois have made history by earning bachelor’s degrees from Northwestern University, marking an important milestone for access to higher education, criminal justice reform, and expanded opportunities for women in the prison system. The women received Bachelor of Science degrees in general studies on Oct. 16 during a commencement ceremony at the Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center, about 130 miles from Northwestern’s Evanston, Illinois, campus.

According to Northwestern University, they are the first incarcerated women in the United States to earn bachelor’s degrees from a top 10 university. The graduates completed the Northwestern Prison Education Program, which began in 2018 to provide incarcerated students with access to college-level coursework and degree pathways. They started their studies in the fall of 2021 and completed a five-year academic journey under the instruction of Northwestern faculty.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered the commencement address, urging the graduates to embrace their strengths and stay focused on their goals. “Be confident, be yourself, that’s the most valuable thing I can say to you — there’s nobody like you,” Pelosi told the graduating class, according to People. She also told them to “know your why,” stressing the importance of purpose when facing obstacles.

For Maria Garza, who was released from prison in 2021 and returned to celebrate with her former classmates, the moment meant far more than simply earning a degree. “Today we celebrate our historic first. We are Northwestern University’s first women’s prison education cohort to graduate with bachelor’s degrees from a top 10 university,” she said.

She also spoke about how much she had changed, adding, “I stand here, back inside facility, not as an incarcerated woman, but as a Northwestern graduate, as an executive director, and as an advocate for criminal justice reform.” Chelsea “Irie” Raker, whose 12-year-old son was present at the ceremony, urged communities to think about how greater access to education could reshape the future for the next generation. “I implore us all to imagine the potential of communities that protect and provide for their children so that young people have access to a degree like mine before they find themselves in a space like this,” Raker said. Jennifer Lackey, director of the Northwestern Prison Education Program, also called for continued support of educational opportunities.

“Keep planting for the future you may never see, keep planting for the people you may never meet, keep planting because of what becomes possible when we grow together,” she said. RELATED CONTENT: From ‘Second Chances’ To ‘Fair Chances’: DeAnna Hoskins Pushes America To Rethink Reentry After Incarceration