The following is a copy of the speech Bobby gave at his graduation from Missouri State University April 11, 2013
The Worth of An Education?
The word "Education" derives from the Latin term, "Educe", which means to bring our meaning that education is to bring out what's already within. Here in this prison context, it helps a prisoner to bring out his potential. It awakens a hope in him that died long ago. Education represents hope. When a man in prison gets the opportunity to get a college education, it helps him to excel to something better, it causes him to climb out of the hole he had dug himself into. It is a ladder to freedom. In a dark place, education lets a prisoner know that there is light. If he follows this light, it can take him many places.
A college education puts a prisoner back in touch with his humanity. It exposes his mind to a larger world, one in which he longs to be a part of as a positive, contributing member of society. The certificate today means more to a prisoner than anything that he could gain from committing crimes. It gives him more status than he can gain from committing crimes.
A few of us graduates come to prison when we were children. I have been incarcerated since I was 16 years old. I came to prison with only an 8th grade education, but my desire to educate myself was always alive. I was sentenced to die in prison and yet, my desire to educate myself never died. In fact, it is more alive now than ever before because education is the key to my freedom. Within the first year in prison, I acquired my G.E.D. and spent years after that reading hundreds of books on every subject. For years, I wanted to get a college education but could not afford it until a few years ago.
To graduate here today is a part of our dream and now that we have accomplished this dread, we dream of achieving higher education goals such as an Associate and Master's degree. This is only the beginning for us. What we have learned in this Business Management class lets us know that there is no limit to our educational possibilities.
Last but not least, I wanted to point out the importance and timeliness of the courses that us men have taken from this college course. Many of us prisoners are here for committing crimes in order to gain some money. We were drug dealers, robbers and crooks who were hungry for money. We were criminal entrepreneurs. This college course has shown us that we went the wrong route to get money. This course has taught us the right way to become successful entrepreneurs and businessmen. My dream is to start my own publishing company with the 13 books that I have written. This course has taught me howto successfully run that company. The importance of this business course can never be underestimated for us former street entrepreneurs.
Each of us 11 graduates is blessed to be here today! Again, we all want to thank the Missouri State University of West Plains and its faculty for giving us the opportunity to take this course! We want to thank the administration for allowing us to have this graduation, and we thank our families and friends who came to share this with us! We give special thanks to the Stones and for their help in making this course available to us! For us, this is only the beginning. We look forward to more college education opportunities in prison and when we are released. To all of the graduates.
Happy Graduation Day.
A college education puts a prisoner back in touch with his humanity. It exposes his mind to a larger world, one in which he longs to be a part of as a positive, contributing member of society. The certificate today means more to a prisoner than anything that he could gain from committing crimes. It gives him more status than he can gain from committing crimes.
A few of us graduates come to prison when we were children. I have been incarcerated since I was 16 years old. I came to prison with only an 8th grade education, but my desire to educate myself was always alive. I was sentenced to die in prison and yet, my desire to educate myself never died. In fact, it is more alive now than ever before because education is the key to my freedom. Within the first year in prison, I acquired my G.E.D. and spent years after that reading hundreds of books on every subject. For years, I wanted to get a college education but could not afford it until a few years ago.
To graduate here today is a part of our dream and now that we have accomplished this dread, we dream of achieving higher education goals such as an Associate and Master's degree. This is only the beginning for us. What we have learned in this Business Management class lets us know that there is no limit to our educational possibilities.
Last but not least, I wanted to point out the importance and timeliness of the courses that us men have taken from this college course. Many of us prisoners are here for committing crimes in order to gain some money. We were drug dealers, robbers and crooks who were hungry for money. We were criminal entrepreneurs. This college course has shown us that we went the wrong route to get money. This course has taught us the right way to become successful entrepreneurs and businessmen. My dream is to start my own publishing company with the 13 books that I have written. This course has taught me howto successfully run that company. The importance of this business course can never be underestimated for us former street entrepreneurs.
Each of us 11 graduates is blessed to be here today! Again, we all want to thank the Missouri State University of West Plains and its faculty for giving us the opportunity to take this course! We want to thank the administration for allowing us to have this graduation, and we thank our families and friends who came to share this with us! We give special thanks to the Stones and for their help in making this course available to us! For us, this is only the beginning. We look forward to more college education opportunities in prison and when we are released. To all of the graduates.
Happy Graduation Day.