After being sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison as a first-time non-violent
drug offender, John received a Presidential Commutation from President Barack Obama on
August 2, 2016. John served over 12 years and returned home battered and broken, but
continued on his journey with relentless determination to be successful. John always felt that
his success would ultimately prove the case that individuals deserve second chances, and when
those same individuals flourish it lays out the case to provide further opportunities to the tens of
thousands of his brothers and sisters he left behind the prison walls. John turned to education at
Hostos Community College, earning an Associates Degree in Business Management with a 4.0
GPA, then accepting a CCTOP Scholarship to attend NYU-SPS where he earned a Bachelors
Degree in Leadership and Management Studies with a 3.9 GPA and was selected by his peers to
be NYU-SPS Class of ’21 Commencement Speaker. John’s achievements go far beyond his
relentless determination to demonstrate to society that people deserve second chances.

This artwork is AR-activated and comes to life with poetry by Jazmine Williams.