Finding Balance Within Expectations

I came home in 2019, after being incarcerated for 24 years. I didn’t know how to monetize my skill sets, which were mostly soft skills since I hadn’t been able to take a lot of classes or earn certifications. I felt like I was coming home with nothing and had nobody who would finance me, so I had to get to work. I kept beating myself up about not having the things of other people my age. Eventually, I just had to embrace being at the bottom. The biggest challenge was having to adjust, adapt, and build all at once. I began working with different organizations, taking classes, and leveraging resources. Eventually, my Free Minds coach referred me to the Building Futures Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Training program, where I earned certifications and got a job offer in the trades.

“It’s a great responsibility, but I think all of those years that I was in those cells, this is what I was really meant to do. I always wanted to give back to the community.” said Shannon, Free Minds’ Advocacy & Leadership Development Specialist. When he came home, Shannon became an active Poet Ambassador, where he used his talent for storytelling and poetry to educate the community on the root causes of youth violence and incarceration. He was then selected to be the Congressman John Lewis Fellow, a 6-month paid position for Free Minds members to build on their professional and leadership skills.