"Prison gave me skills. Freedom taught me the real lesson: preparation means little when the world sees your past before your potential."

 

At just 15 years old, I was sentenced to 14 years in prison. I served 13. While incarcerated, I treated prison as my classroom. I earned every certificate available, joined every self-help group I could, and prepared relentlessly for my release. I believed I was ready.

But the world didn’t see my transformation. Employers saw a felony, not my credentials. Landlords saw a criminal record, not my character. I had done everything "right" inside—but outside, I was still judged by who I had been, not who I had become.

While serving time, I saw a heartbreaking pattern: women would be released full of hope, only to return within months or years. I didn’t understand it then. But after my release, I did. Reentry is not just about readiness—it’s about reality. And the reality is, most people don’t fail reentry. Reentry fails them.

Years later, I met Demetrius. He’d served three years and learned electrical work while inside. He was skilled, motivated—but also deeply wounded from a lifetime of trauma. What he needed wasn’t just a job. He needed healing. He needed mentorship. He needed someone to believe in him.

I watched Demetrius grow—from a struggling electrician to a licensed journeyman making over $100,000 a year. But more importantly, I watched him heal. I watched him finally accept love. Before he passed, he told me, “Now I know you were always on my team. Thank you.”

That moment changed me forever.

I created Empowered Choices Reentry Initiative for all the Demetriuses out there—the ones who’ve done the work but still need support, healing, and someone in their corner.

Our reentry home will offer 4 to 8 beds—a sanctuary where participants can rebuild their lives with dignity, wraparound support, and a trauma-informed community that sees their future, not just their past. Every participant will have 9 to 12 months to move from surviving to thriving.

When you invest in Empowered Choices, you're not just supporting a program. You’re honoring Demetrius’s legacy. You’re funding second chances that are real, structured, and rooted in compassion.

You’re joining the team—for every person who walks through our doors.