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Ex-con earns doctorate, plans community college to help ex-cons
Here's a sample of the article
CHICAGO (WLS) --
It's a story of strong will over circumstances and education over incarceration.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we turn our attention to a man who is working to show others the way up.
Daniel Geiter describes his former self as "a really good thief." Now he is a new man with a big idea that just might change lives.
Geiter believes he holds the key to success. He plans to turn a South Side warehouse into a non-profit community college geared toward ex-cons, called Ward College.
"Forty percent of our students will be former offenders or current offenders from either Cook County or Illinois Department of Corrections," Geiter says.
It's a way for him to open doors for those who have been behind bars and to keep them from going back like he did.
"I'm a convicted felon myself," he explains. "I was last paroled in1999. From my juvenile years up until about 25, I was a repeat offender. Twenty- some odd times in and out of jail."
Until he made up his mind to turn his life around.
"It was 1998. It's like 120 degrees. I'm in Vienna Correctional Center and the walls are sweating literally and I woke up and I looked at that room and I said, 'Lord if I ever get out of here, I'll never come back' and I haven't been back and the only thing that saves me from going back every day is education," he says.
Recently, Geiter graduated from Benedictine University, earning his doctoral degree in education. That's after earning his Bachelor's at St. Xavier and his Master's from University of Chicago. Geiter credits a nun, Sister Sue Sanders, as the angel who pushed him to succeed.
"One of the things that will make Daniel a fine professor and a teacher and president of Ward College is he understands what it means to need help and what it means to return it to others," Sister Sanders say.
Edit: Salute this brother: This is a photo of him getting his PHD.
Ex-con earns doctorate, plans community college to help ex-cons
Here's a sample of the article
CHICAGO (WLS) --
It's a story of strong will over circumstances and education over incarceration.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we turn our attention to a man who is working to show others the way up.
Daniel Geiter describes his former self as "a really good thief." Now he is a new man with a big idea that just might change lives.
Geiter believes he holds the key to success. He plans to turn a South Side warehouse into a non-profit community college geared toward ex-cons, called Ward College.
"Forty percent of our students will be former offenders or current offenders from either Cook County or Illinois Department of Corrections," Geiter says.
It's a way for him to open doors for those who have been behind bars and to keep them from going back like he did.
"I'm a convicted felon myself," he explains. "I was last paroled in1999. From my juvenile years up until about 25, I was a repeat offender. Twenty- some odd times in and out of jail."
Until he made up his mind to turn his life around.
"It was 1998. It's like 120 degrees. I'm in Vienna Correctional Center and the walls are sweating literally and I woke up and I looked at that room and I said, 'Lord if I ever get out of here, I'll never come back' and I haven't been back and the only thing that saves me from going back every day is education," he says.
Recently, Geiter graduated from Benedictine University, earning his doctoral degree in education. That's after earning his Bachelor's at St. Xavier and his Master's from University of Chicago. Geiter credits a nun, Sister Sue Sanders, as the angel who pushed him to succeed.
"One of the things that will make Daniel a fine professor and a teacher and president of Ward College is he understands what it means to need help and what it means to return it to others," Sister Sanders say.
Edit: Salute this brother: This is a photo of him getting his PHD.
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wow great story. i hope this community college goes as planned and is successful.
i'm glad that this dream is becoming a reality for him. this is just amazing.
Why would you think that I'd be interested?
