Graduation at MCI-Shirley

Graduation at MCI–Shirley represents months of planning and coordination among our team, the university and the prison facility. The effort is immense, but the payoff — seeing our students cross the stage with degrees in hand — is immeasurable. Four students received their Bachelor of Arts degrees, the result of years of learning, growth and dedication within a space that rarely makes such milestones possible. Held outside under a tent, the ceremony carried a feeling of shared joy and pride. Students, graduates’ families, faculty, correctional staff and university leaders came together as the Huntington Brass Quintet played, and for a moment, the prison yard felt indistinguishable from a college campus.

Adding to the sense of community, two of our on-campus students returned to support their peers: Nurudeen Alabi, ’25, and senior Markeese Mitchell. Their presence at the ceremony embodied the solidarity and continuity of learning that bridges campus and prison classrooms.

The ceremony featured inspiring remarks from Commissioner Shawn Jenkins, Senator Jamie Eldridge, Provost David Quigley, Dean David Goodman and Bard Prison Initiative founder and executive director Max Kenner, each reflecting on the transformative power of education and the perseverance of our students. It was also a pleasure to have Fr. Tom Curran, S.J., JPEN Coordinator, in the audience, supporting the graduates and embodying the Jesuit values that underpin this work.

The graduates themselves were the heart of the celebration. Valedictorian Michael Brawner, Social Justice and Community Impact Award winner Anthony Baye and Excellence in the Liberal Arts Award winner Anthony Moore embodied the dedication, growth and resilience that the program seeks to foster. Each offered thoughtful reflections on the pursuit of excellence, the power of transformative education, and gratitude for the commitment of Boston College faculty and staff. Their achievements affirmed that this program is not only about earning degrees, but about reclaiming agency, restoring dignity, and expanding what is possible.

Watching each student receive their diploma, surrounded by music, applause and the open sky, the space felt suddenly expanded. For a few hours, a prison became a place of hope, reflection and joy. The ceremony reinforced what I see every day in the classroom: Jesuit education transforms lives, not only intellectually, but morally and spiritually. As the tent emptied and the music faded, what lingered was a sense of shared belonging — a quiet proof that learning, at its best, is an act of freedom.

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