Evelyn Huckleberry hugs her 3-year-old daughter, who came to the prison to see her mom get an associate degree from Connors State College.
As I watched the women walk into a
prison chapel to "Pomp and Circumstance" yesterday, it was hard not to be emotionally moved.
Most never dreamed or even considered they would graduate high school.
Almost all had battled addictions leading them into selling drugs, neglecting children, robbery and other crimes.
Many had stories of sexual abuse or childhood traumas, and all had dropped out of school - some decades earlier.
Being sent to prison is hitting a low point, and these women felt its impact.
But even as a prisoner, there are choices to be made.
More than 60 percent of Oklahoma's female offenders are assessed with needing education, from literacy to high school diplomas.
But only about 30 percent actually complete a program.
These women are among that small group, and they deserve high praise.
Against odds of which the average high school student cannot conceive, they fought their way to this achievement.
Most not only completed academic classwork, but they went through programs for sobriety, anger management, therapy and life skills.
A few of the graduates entered prison barely able to read.
These high school diplomas are major milestones.
At the graduation, parents wept as they saw their daughters.
These moms and dads had witnessed the self-destruction for years, some nearly giving up, and finally got to see triumph.
Children of the graduates scurried about the room, happy to see their moms again, especially with punch and cookies afterward.
Prison officials smiled through tears and high-fived the women after crossing the stage.
The baccalaureate addresses from the valedictorian, salutatorian, principal, superintendent and keynote speaker were unlike any other.
Behind the familiar words and cliches of hope and future dreams, there was the unsaid baggage of the past.
These women were ceremoniously shucking off their previous bad deeds to be better people, for themselves and for their children.
These women experienced the kind of admiration and attention they once thought impossible.
It's too bad all kids cannot see this graduation and hear the stories from these women.
Some of us take for granted the educational opportunities and achievements reached, which we have in large part from the help and dedication of our parents and caregivers.
It's still going to be a challenge for these women as they reintegrate into their communities after release.
But for this one day, these women were academic scholars, worthy of the celebration they received.
