Oakton Community College

Northwestern says they are the first incarcerated women in the country to earn bachelor's degrees from a top 10 university.

The program gives people in prison the opportunity to take college-level classes and work toward a gr- degree through Oakton College.

And congratulations to those ladies, and, uh, certainly hoping that their lives, uh, soar from here.

Beautiful to see them taking that next step toward their education.

US House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will deliver the commencement address.

Since 2018, the Northwestern Prison Education Program has partnered with Oakton College and the Illinois Department of Corrections to provide college-level coursework opportunities to earn academic degrees.

Back in 2024, while being interviewed about a program grad who went on to attend Northwestern's law school, the program's founder had this to say about the impact of the work being done.

Recidivism rates go drama- you know, drop dramatically, um, when people receive a post-secondary education while they're incarcerated, and the evidence shows that the higher degre- the degree, the lower the recidivism rate is.

So it's either good or bad, but I pretty much lived my entire life within a 20-mile radius of where I was born.

After high school, I started my college career at Oakton Community College, where I played baseball, and then transferred to Loyola, and then, uh, ever since transferring to Loyola, I've been in the city.

And then, uh, we just moved to Glenview about two years ago.

So we have, uh, a young baby at home, so we have a fourteen-month-old, so that is primarily what is, you know, taking up our time these days is, uh, you know-

Okay, so anyway, I got involved here in the Chicago area in 1984, where I began teaching at various colleges.

And now I'm at Oakton, where I have been for 40 years.

And I was also at Columbia downtown for 32.

I was at the city colleges for 15.

Sure.

You can reach, too.

D-Arietti at Oakton.

Spell that, please.

And an event I was telling you about before we came on in your local area for for Chicago fans that want to see.

I will say absolutely amazing Blackhawks history going back to the earliest days of the Hawks is November 15th at the Oakton Community College in Skokie, Illinois.

All that day from 9 to 3.30.

It is Blackhawks collection and all kinds of things.