Author urges inmates to share stories
CALIPATRIA — If all goes as planned for David Singerman, the 41-year-old Calipatria State Prison inmate will be out on parole this time next year.
In the meantime, Singerman said he will continue to use his time to rid himself of his questionable behaviors and attitudes, all while pursuing his undergraduate degree in sociology.
“Education played a big role in my transformation,” Singerman said. “Who I am today is completely contrary to what my exterior says I am today.”
On Friday, Singerman got considerably closer toward his goal after having earned his associate’s degree from Coastline College.
He was one of three Calipatria inmates who were recognized on Friday for their collegiate achievement during a graduation ceremony, as were 23 other inmates who had obtained their GED. As part of the graduation ceremony inmates were able to enjoy some cake and spend time with visiting family members.
Best-selling author and guest speaker Victor Villaseñor was also on hand to help motivate the inmate-students to continue to ask more of themselves and make a difference in the world.
“Everyone one of you here has your own story that has to be written,” Villaseñor said.
Villaseñor, author of the national bestseller “Rain of Gold,” also told the inmate-students of his own struggles with education and the rage and frustration that followed him throughout his life as a result.
Despite having suffered from dyslexia throughout his schooling and not learning how to read until he was 20 years old, Villaseñor said he was eventually able to channel that rage onto the page.
Had he not found such a creative outlet, Villaseñor said he would’ve likely became a mass murderer bent on exacting revenge on the racist teachers who made his and his Mexican classmates a living hell in 1940s Oceanside.
Instead, Villaseñor taught himself to read and write and as a result has impacted millions of lives with his numerous novels and short stories, including the critically acclaimed “Burro Genius,” a memoir recounting the struggles of his early years.
“That’s the advantage of getting educated,” Villaseñor told the inmate-students.
Villaseñor’s lengthy speech during the graduation ceremony was one of three he delivered at Calipatria State Prison that also included general population inmates.
The Carlsbad resident implored the inmate-students, as well as correctional staff and educators, to think of themselves as geniuses who have the innate capacity to make miracles happen.
“Genius is the ability to listen to your inner voice,” Villaseñor said. “I want you to be geniuses who go out and make a difference in the world.”
Villaseñor’s speech, at times comical, profane and deeply personal, was exactly the kind of narrative that inmates are most likely to be able to relate to, said Anthony Sigala, Calipatria State Prison education department principal.
“To me, it was the father-son talk that (the inmates) never had,” Sigala said. Friday’s inmate-student graduation ceremony was the first one the facility had hosted in the past two years, as it transitioned from mail correspondence community college courses to an online curriculum.
For the past couple of years, inmates have also had the opportunity to enroll in college classes taught onsite by Imperial Valley College professors.
Former prison gang member Scott Richardson is among the dozens of inmates currently enrolled in IVC courses taught at the facility.
Richardson’s educational pursuits were made possible by his recent decision to leave the gang life behind, start going to church as well as attend drug and alcohol recovery programs.
Although Richardson said he has about 15 years left on his prison sentence and that his participation in the rehabilitative programs is hardly expected to reduce his remaining sentence, he nonetheless enjoys taking part and has benefitted greatly from them.
“I want to be a better man,” Richardson said. “I need to make things right.”
Associate Warden Michele Whitman told the graduating inmate-students on Friday that during her 27 years at the facility she has seen the effort and progress many of them have made.
Friday’s graduation should also be considered just one step in a long series of steps toward the inmate-students’ betterment, she said.
“Whether you realize it or not you have just given back to your family and communities,” Whitman said.