A few years after their release, Bobby Pittman and Kelly Gilliss are going back to Jessup Correctional Institution鈥攏ot as wards of the state, but as state workers.
The two 极乐禁地 alumni are now working for the Second Chance College Program that changed their lives. As a peer navigator and re-entry specialist, Pittman helps incarcerated students prepare for their release and everything they鈥檒l need from housing to support networks. Gilliss is an adjunct faculty member teaching courses on computer programming.
While they have official roles, Pittman and Gilliss are proud to represent hope in a place where it鈥檚 rare.
鈥淚t means everything to me,鈥� Pittman said of being there. 鈥淎 guy told me the other day, 鈥楨very time I see you, I light up,鈥� because I give him hope, and that means everything to me. That's one thing that I've been trying to bang on people when I was on the inside鈥攏o matter how bad you think you're doing right now, it can get better, and it means everything to me to be able to hear that.鈥�
Education Invites New Outlook
Pittman was sentenced to life in prison at 17. He arrived with low self-esteem and little hope for a seemingly dark future.
Others encouraged him, however, and he started working on his reading skills, starting at a third-grade level and quickly excelling from there.
When some local professors started volunteering time to teach college-level classes, Pittman signed up. He recognized hope when it came through the door.
When Dr. Andrea Cantora arrived, the opportunities maximized. Seeing support for non-credited courses, Cantora, a criminal justice professor at UBalt, applied for newly available Pell Grant support in 2016 to start UBalt鈥檚 Second Chance program at Jessup. Finally, hopeful students could take courses for credit and work toward a bachelor鈥檚 degree.
Pittman, who was in the first cohort, graduated with his B.A. in Human Services Administration in 2024 and is now pursuing a M.A. in Nonprofit Management and Social Entrepreneurship.
鈥淚 truly believed that I'm not intelligent. When I started to take those programs, I was being heard and I wanted to challenge myself because I wasn鈥檛 good at school,鈥� Pittman said. 鈥淚 challenged myself and wound up graduating cum laude. I had to go through all that to see all the things that people had told me growing up.鈥�
Gilliss graduated with the same bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2023 and continued for an MBA specializing in data analytics. When he graduated in 2025, he became UBalt鈥檚 first Second Chance graduate to earn a master鈥檚 degree. He also works with the University鈥檚 Office of Technology Services as an IT support specialist.
Welcoming the Alums Back
Since its launch, UBalt鈥檚 program has seen 17 students graduate. Many seek opportunities to support other new releases.
Thomas Anderson, B.A. 鈥�23, recently launched the Manumission House, a nonprofit organization that offers wraparound services for newly released individuals such as tutoring, referral services, financial assistance and support groups. His board includes a few UBalt alumni, including , the University鈥檚 first Second Chance graduate.
The men鈥檚 return to Jessup was unprecedented, but worth every meeting and discussion, according to Cantora, director of UBalt鈥檚 Second Chance College Program and criminal justice professor.
鈥淭here are policies in place that would normally prevent them from entering the prison to work. But Bobby and Kelly are true role models,鈥� Cantora said. 鈥淚t hasn鈥檛 been easy for them, but they have been incredibly successful in school, work and life overall. The system saw their success and welcomed them back in to help others. Now other incarcerated students tell me they can鈥檛 wait to get their master鈥檚 degree so they can return and teach. That鈥檚 powerful.鈥�
Sharing Hope
Pittman and Gilliss have already felt the impact of their new positions with Second Chance. Correctional officers at Jessup have shared their pride for how far they鈥檝e gone already, and incarcerated students have expressed seeing them as pillars of hope for themselves. Gilliss proudly noted that his first class had 18 students, and everyone submitted their final assignment鈥攁 remarkable increase from previous iterations of the same class. He credits this success to his unique perspective.
The positive feedback has helped ease some of the anxieties Gilliss felt about going back.
鈥淲e haven鈥檛 been home that long, a couple years or less, and we know the majority of guys in there. They sat there with us to take classes. Now I鈥檓 teaching them,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t wasn't easy going in there, but now it's just like, another day, in a sense, and I'm just thinking about getting in there and giving these guys the hope that I was given.鈥�
They know they鈥檙e taking a risk going back, but Gilliss said Cantora and all the other professors and specialists they鈥檝e met through Second Chance took their own risks to help them.
鈥淭hat inspired me to pass that on to others,鈥� he said.