SOMERSET, Ky. — Kentucky Community and Technical College is giving inmates a new lease on life.
Page Robbins is starting over after spending 30 months in jail. She’s currently studying human resources at Somerset Community College’s Russell County campus.
“I really didn’t think I was smart enough to go to college, but after getting my GED I realized it’s not easy but it’s not as hard as it’s made out to be,” Robbins said.
Robbins earned her GED in 2017 while she was behind bars in Russell County. Now, she’s sober and working toward bettering her life for herself and her children.
“A lot of people especially in jail they look down on their selves and they don’t think it’s possible to do stuff like this, but I just want to tell people it is possible and if I can do it, anybody can it,” Robbins said.
Andrew Wylie teaches the GED classes to inmates in the Pulaski County Detention Center. He’s been doing it since 2014. His teaching days are spent in the jail rather than a traditional classroom on-campus. Wylie said it’s a rewarding career.
“It’s a really big, exciting day for us all when they get their GED and we actually get to hand over their certificate and show them that they’ve done it and can move on to something else in their life,” Wylie said.
Since 2020, the inmates have earned 4,460 GEDs in the KCTCS system. Two hundred and thirty seven Somerset students have graduated with their GEDs since 2019. Director of the adult education program at SCC Cindy McGaha says inmates are ready to work upon completion.
“There is a definite need for employees in a lot of different occupations and from my experience many of them are able to get a job once they get out,” McGaha said.
Robbins said it has given her hope when at one time she felt hopeless. She said KCTCS staff are compassionate and don’t judge the inmates.
“It’s one of the few places that I’ve been as a convicted felon that doesn’t judge you and still wants to see you do good as a person in general so that means a lot to people like me just having somebody who is like alright just because you’ve done this and this doesn’t mean we ain’t going to give you a chance,” Robbins said.
From 2020 to this year, enrollment in KCTCS’s GED prep classes grew to over 14,400 students.