40-Year-Old Mother of 3 Goes From Inmate to Princeton Intern
A Former Inmate
Woman goes from inmate to Princeton intern.
Photo by Nick Fewings on UnsplashMary McCrary is a 40-year-old mother of three who spent three years in prison. According to Good Morning America, she served time at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville for a parole violation following a conviction for aggravated burglary.
McCrary dropped out of high school in Grade 10 and has since successfully pursued her GED, but it wasn’t until prison that she began thinking about further education. She hit a breaking point behind bars and decided it was time to turn her life around.
“When you get to a point where you're tired and don’t even want to live and you're hopeless and you feel useless and worthless, you have a decision to make,” she told the publication.
“I made the decision to use this time to do something different, to change my life, because I didn’t want to keep doing the same things and getting in trouble and ... doing whatever I had to to survive because it gets you in the exact same place.”
So, McCrary enrolled in a coding class as part of the center’s Persevere program, an initiative aimed at helping inmates earn certifications as front-end or full-stack web developers.
“The class alone made you feel like you’re a human being, that I was working towards something, that there is a goal in sight, I am going to accomplish something, and I did,” she added. “That does give you confidence and hope.”
A Life-Changing Opportunity
For the next six months, McCrary earned her certificate in front-end coding. She decided to develop her skills even more by enrolling at Nashville State Community College, which offers a program for inmates.
This past May, McCrary was granted parole, completed her supervision, and earned extra credits toward an associate’s degree. But not even she could anticipate what would happen next: an internship at Princeton.
The nine-week program is meant for formerly incarcerated undergrad students to gain experience and new opportunities, and so far, McCrary is excelling.
“Her dedication to building her future is evident in how she does not shy away from challenges and the unknown,” Bridgett vonHoldt, an associate professor at Princeton and the head of the internship program said. “She is a role model, demonstrating for anyone who thinks such change is impossible that nothing is impossible.”
As for McCrary, she knows this is an incredible opportunity and hopes the internship is the next step toward earning her AA degree back in Nashville.
“This has been life-changing in more ways than one. This is an unbelievable, sometimes overwhelming experience,” she said. “If you look at my past, it's a crazy shamble mess, but look now, look what can happen. Nothing is ever impossible.”
Second Chances
McCrary hopes to be a role model for those who are having a hard time accepting the idea of a brighter future and so far, she certainly is. She’s a great example of how things can get better and you can change your future when you’re willing to take advantage of the opportunities you have — even if they don’t seem like opportunities at the time.
This story is also a needed reminder that everyone deserves a second chance in life and that sometimes, by allowing someone who has messed up the chance to try again, they may surprise you.
No one is perfect, and everyone stumbles. It’s not how hard we fall that truly matters in life; it's how we pick ourselves back up. But it’s also up to us whether we want to be the person who lends someone on the ground a helping hand or if we want to be the guy who just keeps on walking.
Give Your Brain a Workout: 5 Reasons You Should (Really) Read More
Reading just might be the single best hobby in the entire universe. It takes your mind off all the craziness of everyday life, relaxes you, and improves mental health. Also, a book will never run low on batteries, so you can enjoy it everywhere.
It is a known fact that reading has far more benefits than just being a popular method for killing time. It’s also a highly effective workout for the brain that can decrease your chances of developing dementia and other mental conditions after you turn 60.
Indeed, reading is a powerful pastime. Let’s explore the five reasons why it is absolutely essential for your brain for you to read more -- and be sure to read till the end to get some quick tips for making reading a habit!
Give Your Brain a Workout: 5 Reasons You Should (Really) Read More
1. Reading keeps your brain agile
A large body of research suggests that brain-stimulating activities like reading are effective at slowing down cognitive decline in seniors and improving mental health in middle-aged individuals. For example, a recent study published in Neurology Journal found that a strong reading habit greatly reduced the decline in memory.
Specifically, the group that was mentally engaged (e. g., reading) showed a 32% slower decline in their mental abilities. By contrast, the control group that was irregularly involved in brain-stimulating activities reported a 48% quicker decline.
These results suggest that reading is a powerful tool for keeping your brain busy and fit.
2. Reading improves focus and alleviates stress
The modern lifestyle is extremely hectic for most. Even when people leave the office nowadays, it seems they're always glued to their screens, reading emails, tweets, snaps, Facebook posts, and YouTube videos. It can be said that many people carry a mini-entertainment center with them at all times because of the gadgets they use on a constant basis.
For the brain, this means one thing: work, work, work. If a person's mind is engaged in perpetual distractions, it becomes difficult to let the brain rest, even for a bit. They need a good tool for relaxing it.
Reading is that much needed tool. It is extremely effective at reducing stress because it allows you to escape the worries of the everyday world. The science claims that reading can reduce stress by as much as 68%. It even outperforms such well-known stress beaters as walking in the park and listening to music!
Sounds unbelievable? Try it yourself. Begin reading a book for 20 minutes a day on the way to work and see how this mindful practice eliminates the stress triggers of our crazy lifestyles.
3. Reading makes you more empathetic
Reading is a tool that fosters the Theory of Mind (the capacity to understand that other people have different desires and beliefs). For example, this study published in Science magazine used literary fiction to test how reading contributed to increased performance on tests of affective and cognitive Theory of Mind.
The study found that reading fiction can help you comprehend what people are thinking by analyzing their emotions. As the result, a reading fan can be more empathetic because they know how to relate to others. This is a great skill to have because it can help to find solutions in difficult situations. For example, being able to alleviate a customer concern can be helpful for entrepreneurs.
4. Reading helps you sleep better
Many people prefer to read from their smartphones and tablets before they go to sleep. This is not a good idea, because light-emitting reading devices have a negative impact on sleep quality. According to Anne-Marie Chang, a sleep scientist who studied the impact of light-emitting ebook readers and iPads on sleep, the body’s natural circadian rhythms are interrupted by the short-wavelength enriched right, also known as blue light, emitted from these electronic devices.
Therefore, reading on your tablet or smartphone increases sleep deficiency and makes you tired in the morning regardless of how many hours you spent in bed. Reading a good old-fashioned print book, on the other hand, does not have this deleterious effect on sleep. Moreover, a bedtime reading ritual can improve sleep quality because it detaches the mind from all the stresses of daily living.
As the result, you’re getting some quality zzz's.
5. Reading can stave off Alzheimer’s and other mental conditions
The science shows that a strong reading habit is effective at keeping a number of mental conditions at bay, including Alzheimer’s dementia. A recent study by a group of scientists at the University of Pittsburgh found that deeper engagement in reading activities wasassociated with a lower risk of developing incident dementia. Given that reading is a highly stimulating activity, it can help to keep your mental functioning strong.
Tips to make reading a habit
There are a number of strategies to cultivate a stronger reading habit, so check them out and select the ones that can work for you.
Ready for a brain workout?
Becoming a frequent reader offers a number of benefits for your health and happiness. Indeed, as any experienced reader can tell you, immersing yourself in a rich world of books can make your brain come alive. Are you ready to enter this world?