Zachary Lewis of Middletown, N.Y. (left) receives his diploma from Fr. Gregoire Fluet, Interim President of Mount Saint Mary College, on Saturday, May 18.
Zachary Lewis of Middletown, N.Y. waived to his wife and children on Saturday, May 18 as they headed towards the college’s 61st Annual Commencement Ceremony.
As he stood atop the stairs leading to the Mount’s Dominican Center, he could see where the other students were getting ready, just below at Aquinas Hall. After quickly putting on his Commencement robes, Lewis headed down to join them.
As he sat with his fellow grads, awaiting the moment he’d walk across the Commencement stage, Lewis was filled with a deep gratitude for those who had helped him along the way.
Dozens of men have graduated with Mount degrees through the college’s partnership with Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, but Lewis was only the second person in three years to be released in time to receive his diploma at the annual graduation ceremony. He had walked out of Shawangunk Correctional Facility as a free man in April 2024, only about six weeks earlier.
Lewis, who graduated magna cum laude, was overjoyed to be able to attend the ceremony and receive his bachelor’s degree in social sciences in person.
“It’s a fantastic feeling, for numerous reasons,” said Lewis. “I get a chance to show my family – my wife, my kids, my brother, my mom and dad – the transition to a better life. Despite the choice I made in the past, I’m moving forward and doing the right thing in life.”
The Mount began its partnership with Hudson Link in January of 2020, giving several cohorts of incarcerated men at Shawangunk Correctional Facility the opportunity to earn a bachelor’s degree. Through the dedication of people like Mike Daven, professor of Mathematics and Hudson Link Prison Initiative Academic Coordinator, Mount professors teach courses to men at the facility looking to better themselves through education.
Hudson Link provides college education, life skills, and reentry support to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals to help them make a positive impact on their lives, their families, and their communities. It also aims to lower rates of recidivism, incarceration, and poverty.
That’s something Lewis took to heart. Several years ago, he saw the opportunity for a new beginning and started the process to obtain a bachelor’s degree from the Mount via the Hudson Link program.
“I knew I had to do different things with my life to get different outcomes,” Lewis explained. "Education was a key component in this change.”
According to Hudson Link, about 40 percent of people return to prison within three years of release. As of 2020, the recidivism rate for those who have gone through the Hudson Link program was less than 3 percent in two decades.
As for his post-college plans, Lewis would like to enter the counseling field. To reach this goal, he will enroll in New York State’s Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) program.