February 6, 2026: Friday

Alumni Page

\We’ve built a new page on the Prison Professors website. It’s called the Alumni page.

The purpose of this page is to show what’s possible when people commit to preparation, accountability, and documented effort over time. Their stories show the process—and the results that follow when people adhere to a values-based, goal-oriented strategy.

• Click to see our Alumni Page

On the Alumni page, we feature individuals who went through the journey and are now doing exceptionally well on the other side. As of today, we are highlighting six people who have been involved with Prison Professors for several years. Each of them followed the guidance we teach through our free courses. And each of them is now earning a paycheck from Prison Professors.

We’re grateful to have them on our team, and I encourage every member of our community to read their stories.

One of those alumni is Celeste Blair. At one time, Celeste was serving a 30-year sentence in federal prison. While incarcerated, she became instrumental in building and expanding our Profiles program. Because of her leadership, several hundred people began documenting their lives—showing, in measurable ways, how they were working to earn freedom through merit.

The President commuted Celeste’s sentence. Today, she works full time for Prison Professors, continuing to lead with discipline, humility, and purpose.

I’m also deeply impressed by Justin Norcutt. Justin transitioned from prison to home confinement during the COVID pandemic. Prison Professors supported his reentry in many ways. Today, Justin is running a small business and is on track to earn more than $100,000 per year—even while still completing community confinement.

Another alum is Tulio Cardozo, who has been a guide and inspiration to me since 2012, when I transitioned to a halfway house in San Francisco. Tulio taught me a great deal about technology and helped me build websites that launched multiple income streams. My transition back into society was easier because I could rely on his mentorship and technical expertise.

Tulio also introduced me to Roman Resurreccion, who served time in prison and became an ambassador for our work. Roman’s leadership and consistency are among the reasons our community has grown to serve thousands of people across the nation. I’m encouraged watching Roman continue to accumulate points, work through our programs, and prepare for success after release.

We also recently welcomed Erin Verespy to our team. Erin served a lengthy sentence for a white-collar offense. Today, while she is completing her obligation to the Bureau of Prisons in a halfway house. She earns an income by working with us as our bookkeeper.

Erin’s role reflects an important principle we believe in at Prison Professors: preparation does not begin after release. It begins while a person is still accountable, still under supervision, and still proving reliability through action.

Finally, I want to recognize Steve Shickles. Steve brings enormous depth and breadth of experience to our technology team. Every day, he helps us add new features, improve usability, and strengthen the systems that support our community. Much of what people now see on Prison Professors—the hubs, dashboards, profiles, and tools designed to make preparation easier—exists because of Steve’s commitment to building with purpose.

Together, these alumni represent what the Alumni page is meant to show. They didn’t just complete courses.

• They documented effort.
• They built skills.
• They earned trust.
• They prepared for success upon release

And now they’re succeeding.

The Alumni page shows what sustained preparation can produce over time. My hope is that these stories inspire others in our community to begin—or continue—documenting their journey and working toward the best possible outcome, regardless of where they are today.