Choosing his next chapter: Educational Transition Coordination program’s first graduate hopes to inspire others who have been incarcerated

As Yannick Washington ‘24 walked across the commencement stage, he saw his parents, siblings and children cheering in the crowd — a new vantage point far removed from the one he had just a few years ago inside Jackson State Prison. 

“For 15 years, I was a familiar face inside jails and prisons,” Washington said. “Imprisoned again at 35 with no direction, I thought about how I had affected my family and knew I wanted to change my life.”

After completing 76 credit hours of prison education courses with Jackson College, Washington enrolled at Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business. He completed his bachelor’s in business administration last year, thanks in part to support from Wayne State’s Educational Transition Coordination program (ETC).

The program, launched in 2021 as a partnership with the Michigan Justice Fund, helps people affected by the criminal justice system access and thrive in higher education from start to finish. So far, it has assisted 45 people, 16 of whom have enrolled in colleges or universities. An ETC staff that includes professionals with similar lived experiences provides students with resources and guidance about admissions, financial aid and transferring, along with mentoring, tutoring, training and job search support.

Washington is ETC’s first graduate, exemplifying the success of a program in which no participant has recidivated. Though 79% of people who leave prison end up rearrested within five years, earning a bachelor’s degree reduces recidivism to just 5%. For those who earn a master’s degree, it’s reduced to less than 1%.  

Wayne State Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Laurie Lauzon Clabo said ETC is one of the many ways Wayne State is accelerating mobility for its graduates, providing access and opportunity for a population often overlooked in higher education and the workforce.

“At Wayne State, we firmly believe in the power of education to positively alter life trajectories, fostering generational change and societal advancement,” Clabo said. “ETC illustrates how we work to recognize the potential in people and surround them with the support they need to shape a brighter future regardless of their past.”

Washington learned about ETC after a chance encounter in the Ilitch School lobby with Kevin Papuga ‘21, a former academic advisor. The two met in 2018 while incarcerated at Jackson State Prison. Papuga told Washington about a new program that College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean Stephanie Hartwell, Ph.D. was creating with School of Social Work Dean Sheryl Kubiak, Ph.D.

“In my 30 years working with people impacted by the criminal justice system, I've collected ample evidence that higher education can transform the lives of people who were formerly incarcerated and, subsequently, their families and the community,” Hartwell said. “Implementing a program that can support these individuals making their transition to the community and enrolling at a college or university takes sensitivity, dedication and the belief that people deserve second chances. Yannick's graduation is a promising start as he is a shining example we hope inspires many others.”         

Through ETC, Washington found a community with shared experiences and connected to the many resources available at Wayne State. His time on campus was filled with financial and personal challenges, but he found encouragement within the ETC and at home.

“My mother, Brenda Atterberry, is my biggest ally and supporter,” Washington said. "A Wayne State graduate herself, she pushed me to be exceptional and encouraged me to apply to WSU. It was a fight all the way through, but I was determined to get through and dedicated everything to school.”

Getting started

“College can include a lot of paperwork. You have to wait for decisions, you have to wait for funding, and you have to find a job, which can be difficult if you have a criminal record," Washington said. “And while you're waiting on all these things and taking classes, you still need to provide for yourself and your family. All of this combines so that when you’re in prison, higher education is viewed as something you cannot do, and I think that needs to change.”

The ETC shares Washington’s goal.

Program Director Toycia Collins, Ph.D., says that despite the documented benefits of higher education, there are many barriers facing justice-impacted persons, including a distrust of authority, a lack of housing and transportation, and inaccessible software.

“Oftentimes a formerly incarcerated person has never touched a computer, and even if they have, they must also learn how to use Canvas or whatever program is being used by their school,” Collins said.

Having overcome similar obstacles, Washington is excited to be back at Wayne State pursuing his M.B.A. and a career that allows him to help others. He’s interested in a leadership role within nonprofit or community-focused organizations.

Washington is part of a student organization called T.I.M.E. (Tangible Immediate Material Environment) Minded that aims to raise awareness and support for criminal justice reform. By organizing several fundraisers, including a children’s winter clothing drive, and distributing 300 ​backpacks filled with school supplies to Detroit K-12 ​students and 125 gun locks to parents, Washington and his peers have started to realize their own potential.   

“I want to help others make better decisions than I did,” he said. “I also want to destroy the narrative that people being released from incarceration can simply be self-sufficient, don't need any help or are not worthy of help.”

Collins said that people like Washington are ambassadors for others who are still stuck in a cycle of recidivism.

“These people have paid their debt to society and now have an overwhelming desire to support those who are coming after — to help men and women change their thinking and to stop seeing themselves as felons,” she explained.

Papuga said ETC can empower anyone who shares Washington’s determination.

“I hate the word ‘mistake,’” Papuga said. “The ETC offered Yannick community and consistency, but his journey started with himself. Every day he wakes up and makes the choice to be a father. He makes the choice to be a student and makes the choice to not fall back into those old negative ways of thinking, and that's no mistake.”