Voices from Prison: The Making of Ascenders

by Donald L. Wright PhD

Mr. Abe. [I received the following email from a former student.] “I am doing well, really, really well. My wife and I have had two more children since my release. When I got out, society tried hard to keep me poor and victimized. But I went and got my PHD – meaning I was Poor, Hungry, and Determined. I finished my B.A. and my Tech School certification. I got my college degree and then never used it because of society’s discrimination. I found I could be hired as an independent contractor, so I started my own business and doing exceptionally well. The discrimination was an advantage because it forced me to start my own business, and I contract my work out. It is much better than being an employee. “People always told me my ADHD was a weakness, but I came to learn it is a HUGE strength related to creativity and thinking outside the box. I’ve learned to turn my ‘weaknesses’ into strengths. We just have to channel it toward something we are interested in, and then we can focus intensely and work for long periods of time without getting bored. “I have learned to stop caring about worldly things and status. I care about my family, and I care about other people. I don’t have a lot of needs to be happy. Prison did teach me how to do without material things. I read 80 books in 2023. They were mostly audiobooks, which I can listen to while I am driving. Yes, I am still a huge book lover! “I somehow lucked out into a life that’s unimaginably wonderful. It’s better than I fantasized a...