Aspire MO 2.0
Moments before their graduation ceremony, nine residents of Chillicothe Correctional Center gathered outside the visitation room to do their cheer one more time. "Strongly Connected!" they shouted as they prepared to celebrate their accomplishments in front of friends and family.
Aspire MO 2.0, a Missouri Department of Economic Development training initiative, gave the residents the opportunity to gain their OSHA 10 and Certified Production Technician 4.0 certifications before their release. Each graduate also completed eight hours of Clifton Strengths training by Partner for Better and a year of peer support led by Connections to Success.
"All of it was pretty powerful," graduate Melissa Mahan said. "My very favorite part would be Connections to Success and learning so much about myself. Over time you forget the things that you're great at and it really helped to hone in on all of our skills and put them on the forefront of our minds."
Aspire MO 2.0, a Missouri Department of Economic Development training initiative, gave the residents the opportunity to gain their OSHA 10 and Certified Production Technician 4.0 certifications before their release. Each graduate also completed eight hours of Clifton Strengths training by Partner for Better and a year of peer support led by Connections to Success.
"All of it was pretty powerful," graduate Melissa Mahan said. "My very favorite part would be Connections to Success and learning so much about myself. Over time you forget the things that you're great at and it really helped to hone in on all of our skills and put them on the forefront of our minds."
Missouri State University-West Plains Graduation
In late December, seven women at Chillicothe Correctional Center became the first group to graduate from Missouri State University-West Plains with associate degrees in agriculture. The Second Chance Pell Grant program provides support for incarcerated students to pursue secondary education while in the Missouri Department of Corrections.
"It's the best opportunity you can take. You could go out of here with nothing and no knowledge, but if you have this degree, then you have knowledge," graduate Jewel Bewley said.
The graduates had daily classes together in the greenhouse and formed a solid sense of community.
"Let's go, bad bitches," Kelly Butler shouted as she and her fellow graduates posed for portraits in their regalia.
"We all stood by each other and helped each other, no matter how hard it got," graduate Christina White said.
"Even when I wanted to quit, I had the girls to push me through like 'You can do this. They got me through it."
"It's the best opportunity you can take. You could go out of here with nothing and no knowledge, but if you have this degree, then you have knowledge," graduate Jewel Bewley said.
The graduates had daily classes together in the greenhouse and formed a solid sense of community.
"Let's go, bad bitches," Kelly Butler shouted as she and her fellow graduates posed for portraits in their regalia.
"We all stood by each other and helped each other, no matter how hard it got," graduate Christina White said.
"Even when I wanted to quit, I had the girls to push me through like 'You can do this. They got me through it."
