How Rising Scholars program at Cuesta College is changing the lives of CMC inmates

Recently paroled, Byron Williams began serving a life sentence at California Men’s Colony at 19 years old. He was there for 23 years.

When Cuesta College’s Rising Scholars program began offering education to inmates at CMC, it became the key to regaining his freedom.

“At first, I tried to play the game of pretending like I was on my best behavior, but really I had a foot in both the rehabilitation programming and the prison crime culture,” Williams said.

He was denied parole at his first hearing and referred to as a “terrible role model” by a member of the parole board. He was denied another parole hearing for seven years.

“That made me feel hopeless, and I just went back to doing anything I could get away with for many more years,” Williams said.

Williams is one of hundreds of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students whose lives have been reshaped through Cuesta College’s Rising Scholars program, which provides college education and vocational training at the California Men’s Colony and at the Coastal Valley Academy, a custody commitment camp program that San Luis Obispo County Juvenile Hall, for youth ages 14 to 17.

As California expands educational access in prisons following the restoration of Pell Grant funding, programs like Rising Scholars are increasingly viewed as tools for reducing recidivism, easing reentry into society and creating opportunities for students who once saw little future beyond incarceration.

For many years of Williams’ incarceration, Pell grants weren’t available to prisoners because of the restrictions in the HR 3355 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act signed into law by former President Bill Clinton in 1994. The bill denied federal funding of higher education in prisons for inmates.

In 2023, when Pell grants once again became available, Williams noticed that some men like him, with long sentences, were being released from prison after completing educational degrees and learning vocational skills through the Rising Scholars program. He then decided to give his all to learning new skills and staying out of trouble.

When he began studying, Williams’ math skills were not very good. The educational development staff at CMC helped him as he worked hard on his skills for three years to prove to the parole board that he had changed.

“After being locked up for 23 years, freedom can sometimes be overwhelming. It’s like standing under a waterfall when you’ve only been used to the drip of a leaky faucet,” Williams said. “For so long, most of my choices were made for me. Now I have a million choices to make every day.”

Williams’s goal is to become a substance abuse counselor in order to give back to society.

Rising Scholars has helped thousands of CA inmates

Since the Rising Scholars Program and vocational skills training became available in California prisons, thousands of inmates have enrolled statewide.

Currently, 30,000 students are enrolled in the Rising Scholars program across California.

At Cuesta College, 320 inmates from CMC and 71 at-risk youth have graduated from a combination of vocational certification and degree programs as of May 5.

The program’s impact extends beyond educational attainment. Educated inmates have shown a 43% reduction in recidivism rates.

According to the California Legislative Office, the annual cost of incarcerating one inmate in 2026 is $127,800. Based on these estimates, a Brennan Center report projects that the state could realize approximately $193.5 million in savings.

The California Legislative Office also reports that the Rising Scholars program generates a five-dollar return on investment for every dollar spent.

The growth of prison education programs has drawn attention from colleges across the state.

Cuesta’s Rising Scholars Program Coordinator Devin Kutil attended the Rising Scholars Conference in May where over 100 California colleges serving 30,000 Rising Scholars students were represented.

“From programs embedded inside facilities to collaborations with employers, nonprofits and reentry organizations, colleges are no longer waiting for students to find their way to campus and instead are building flexible, relevant and supportive systems that respond to real life,” Kutil said. “The conference made it clear that supporting justice-impacted students is no longer a side effort; it’s central to equity, workforce development, and the future of California’s community colleges.”

How staff supports inmates in their education goals

The success of the program depends on the support provided by staff members inside and outside the prison.

Program Specialist Kelsey McDonald assists former inmates, once they are released and on campus, with paperwork, online registration and financial aid so they can become students at Cuesta.

“I’m here for them; I want to help them reach their goals of living their best lives possible,” McDonald said. “They are here because they really want to be here. Seeing them succeed is what brings me enjoyment in this work.”

“Some of the technical stuff is beyond the proficiency of some of the guys who don’t have much of a high school background,” McDonald said. “Often they’re embarrassed and apologetic, but I’m patient with them and just reassure them that I’m there to help them through this kind of stuff.”

McDonald also works with incarcerated, justice-impacted youth at the Coastal Valley Academy to pursue their educational goals. CVA is a residential facility for at-risk youth serving six-to 12-month commitments as an alternative to group homes. The goal of the program is to reunite teens with their families and equip them with new skills to navigate life’s challenges.

The fact that both CMC and CVA are close to Cuesta is a major advantage to the students and staff of the Rising Scholars.

“In some cases, students want to pursue a bachelor’s degree, but there are no colleges nearby that offer a four-year degree (to formerly incarcerated students),” McDonald said.

Project Rebound is a program administered through the California State University System to help them do that. Cal State Monterey Bay or UC Santa Barbara are the closest colleges to CMC in that program.

“It would be great if Cal Poly San Luis Obispo had a Project Rebound also,” McDonald said.

One former CMC inmate now enrolled at Sacramento State

While administrators point to transfer pathways and enrollment growth as measures of success, former students say the program’s greatest impact can be more personal.

Michael Martinez was at CMC for 6.5 years. His Rising Scholars experience started out as simply a way to reduce his prison time.

He unexpectedly awakened a torrent of enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge in himself when he took a geology course.

“It opened my eyes to the vast and wondrous world and my connectedness to it,” he said. “Before that, I only thought of my barrios, my city, my family and friends.”

Martinez earned an associate of science degree in sociology and an associate of arts degree in human services.

”Rising Scholars helped me develop as a person,” he said. “In prison, there was so much negativity. It’s easy to get caught up in it, but once I got into Rising Scholars, I became part of a community of guys who wanted to better themselves and stay out of trouble.”

Martinez is currently enrolled at Sacramento State University. He transferred from Cuesta College to earn a bachelor’s degree in addiction studies. He is also beginning his internship for his certification as a drug and alcohol counselor.

At the time of the interview, Martinez was repairing the first car he had ever owned that was legally registered in his name.

“The funny thing about it is the moment I put the registration sticker on the car, I had quite a moment of reflection, because for years I worked in the job of making those stickers. I did it so long that I became a supervisor in the shop,” he said. “Now I was holding what some other inmate had made, and I’m free.”

This story was produced by The Cuestonian, Cuesta College’s student newspaper, and is published in partnership with the San Luis Obispo Tribune. The partnership is supported by the Center for Community News at the University of Vermont.