When Humanities professor Sol Neely asked Blake to join an English course with inmates at the Lemon Creek Correctional Center, Blake didn’t hesitate. He already knew what it felt like to walk through heavy sliding metal doors and feel the cold concrete confines of a prison. From the time he was six years old visiting his father in prison, Blake has carried these memories and feelings with him.
He knew he didn’t want to miss the opportunity to look his incarcerated peers in the eyes, to make them feel human, so they knew they were valued members of the class and larger community. And they did. Not only did they find common ground but lasting bonds thanks to Sol Neely and the UAS Flying University.
