59 years of age, female, 2 x BA degrees, speaks 6 languages, international business career, communicator, very spiritual. The moment I got arrested, part of me I still had high hopes that I could get acquittal or reversal of my case, but part of me also needed to think about the worst case scenario, being incarcerated and work towards restarting my life in the best possible way. I am not new to adversity in life, having battled health issues since birth, abuse by a cousin, self-esteem issues, a very difficult relationship, but my faith in God and my loved ones supporting me through all has always pulled me through. To many, over time, I have become a beacon of hope, knowledge, calm and all I have to bring to the table, is indeed a lot of love and compassion in me, Given to me by God, for I am but His instrument in this life. A gift I am willing to share with all around me, at all times. Incarceration is extremely challenging. The US system does not have any humanitarian or holistic approach towards incarcerated people. Yes, there are truckloads of policies and program statements, but re-entry starts with real people connecting and giving each other the positive empowerment so many are lacking, simply because they have always been negated by society outside. Incarceration has shown me the gigantic disconnect between the Government, the BOP, prison staff and incarcerated human beings. There is a lot of work to do! At the end of the day, the majority of the incarcerated people will return to society, what do we want to have in our society: people that can make a positive contribution to that same society or people that will become a burden of that society?? I would like to contribute to that and know that I will have to brace myself for a lot of adversity, which I will embrace. Regards,
