Christopher A. Hunter (Chris) was born on June 18, 1974, in Mobile, Alabama, and raised in the Hillsdale Heights subdivision housing area. Chris grew up under the nurturing and love of his mother, Brenda D. Hunter, along with his two sisters, Jennifer L. Hunter and Susan C. Hunter. When Walter G. Hunter married their mother, he embraced the family and became a father figure. However, the most significant influences in Chris’s early life were his grandparents, Joseph and Susie B. Drawns. His grandfather in particular was his anchor and guiding light, shaping much of Chris’s character and values.
Life took a dramatic turn for Chris at the age of 18, when a single, impulsive decision led to his incarceration in federal custody, a situation he has been enduring over the 30 years. While the weight of imprisonment could have easily define him, Chris refuse to let his circumstances limit his potential or extinguish his spirit. Instead, he sees his journey as one of redemption, growth and resilience, acknowledging his mistakes while striving to overcome the challenges of confinement.
Chris vividly reflects on the choices that led to his incarceration, recognizing the harm his actions caused not only to others but to himself, for as the saying goes, “hurt people, hurt people.” His journey has been one of self-discovery, confronting the destructive mentalities that often occurs in prison life. During this journey through the prison system Chris has reflected as how he has overcame the abnormal prison ideologies. He could have tatted his mind with prison ink etched with the prison philosophies and succumbing to prison culture. Being fascinated and influenced by prison culture as if being a part of prison is some sort of badge of honor, rites of passage to manhood or a fraternity of brotherhood only describes the mediocrity of the basic belief system. Instead of being hypnotized by the allure of prison culture, Chris has embraced a mind-set of self-improvement and personal excellence, in which he likens to a “diamond mind-set” recognizing that pressure can bring out brilliance.
Over the years, Chris has dedicated himself to education and personal development. He has achieved remarkable academic and professional milestones, such as:
Two Associate’s Degrees – Glenville State College (cum laude) and Talladega College (magna cum laude)
Electrical Journeyman License from the State of West Virginia
Certifications:
ESCO and EPA (HVAC)
NCCER – Core, Electrical, and HVAC
OSHA 30-hour safety training
ACT WorkKeys (Gold level)
ServSafe and ManageFirst Professional credentials
Department of Labor Apprenticeships – Teachers’ Aide and Custodial Maintenance
Chris continually challenges himself through personal reflection, employing tools like SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analyses to navigate through life’s complexities. His passion for learning extends to literature, where he draws inspiration from timeless works such as War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and As a Man Thinketh by James Allen.
Through his journey of self-rehabilitation, Christopher A. Hunter exemplifies the power of resilience and transformation. He believes that while life may present challenges those challenges are opportunities to shine brighter. For him redemption is not just about atonement for past actions but about becoming a beacon of hope and change for others with their own struggles.
