At Trellis Foundation, we believe in making the promise of higher education a reality for all students. We also recognize the over-representation of Black and Hispanic students in the justice system, and supporting educational opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals is critical to our equity goals.
Higher ed in prison is a space that many folks come to with a deep passion. I have heard many a person, myself included, say that nothing is more inspiring than attending a commencement inside prison and celebrating the students’ accomplishments alongside their families. That said, I am particularly excited for this pivotal policy moment where we can couple our passion with an intentional statewide plan.
The reinstatement of access to federal Pell grants for incarcerated students brings additional resources to students and institutions. When you combine the increased access to federal financial aid with our state’s commitment to a Talent Strong Texas, we have the ability and the imperative to craft a landscape of equity of access and options for incarcerated students across this state.
I look forward to the day when students, regardless of their prison or unit, have access to an array of CTE, vocational, two-year, four-year, and advanced degrees because we know that education is key to individual success and statewide progress.
On June 7, 2024, Trellis Foundation was honored to partner with the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison to convene stakeholders from across Texas—joined by colleagues from across the country—to plan what that future of economic mobility and opportunity for incarcerated individuals and our state can look like and what it will look like if we do it with intentionality and build pathways to success across the units and geography of our state.
Our goal was to bring together the expertise of prison education professionals with more traditional higher education policy and practice experts for a cross-pollination of ideas. It is so easy within a complex system to create silos. For the success of students, faculty and communities, prison education must not be siloed as a topic merely for the corrections space. Those of us working in education and workforce development must also embrace our mission to serve the incarcerated population. And we must learn alongside corrections and prison education colleagues to bring the best ideas from all spaces together.
Special thanks to my fellow planning committee members: Ved Price and Dr. Susie Bannon from the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison; Alexa Garza, with Ed Trust Texas and a HEP consultant; Dr. Mel Webb at UT-SA; and Dr. Donna Zuniga, Lee College Huntsville Center.
A highlight of the event was the premiere of a powerful new video from the Formerly Incarcerated College Graduates Network (FICGN). This video featured the voices of people who have formerly been incarcerated, discussing the transformative power of person-centered language. Their stories and experiences are sure to inspire and motivate us all.
Trellis Foundation is committed to using language that acknowledges that individuals who have committed felonies are not defined solely by their actions or experiences; they are human beings with complex lives and experiences. We encourage our partners to join us in taking FICGN’s Pledge to Use Person-first Language when discussing individuals directly impacted by the justice system.
Related: A Program Officer’s Guide to Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Individuals >>
About the Author
Jenny Achilles joined Trellis Foundation (then Trellis Company/ TG) in 2013 with nearly a decade of higher education service in various capacities, including student affairs and study abroad advising. She serves on local and national committees, such as the Steering Committee for Advance Together (an initiative of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas); the Funders Collaborative for Higher Education in Prison & Reentry Support; and the Grantmakers for Education (GFE) Learning, Evaluation & Data (LEAD) Impact Group; and she co-chairs the GFE Postsecondary Access & Attainment Impact Group. She previously served on the Membership Committee for the National Scholarship Providers Association from 2015-2017 and the Texas Rural Funders Membership & Dues Task Force. She also serves as a Commissioner for the City of Austin Community Development Commission and is an alumna of Leadership Austin. Jenny earned a Bachelor of Science in communication from Lamar University and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in journalism and public policy, with a focus on nonprofit studies.