Pelican Bay Scholars
The Pelican Bay Scholars program began in 2015 and provides face-to-face college courses to incarcerated students in the far northern region of California. Students can earn an AA Liberal Arts Degree in Behavioral and Social Sciences and complete the required GE courses to be eligible to transfer to a California State University.
CR strives to provide a top-quality college program to our Pelican Bay students, with services that are reflective of those a student would receive on campus: access to textbooks and course materials, transcript evaluation, academic counseling, career planning, transfer assistance, and statewide college networking.
The Pelican Bay Scholars program has been made possible through achieving a positive and reciprocal relationship between College of the Redwoods, the student scholars and Pelican Bay State Prison.
The Pelican Bay Scholars student body is comprised of dedicated students who thrive as learners, are engaged, hard-working, respectful and eager to access higher education opportunities.
THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:
The Pelican Bay Scholars Program provides a space to address literacy disparities and offer quality education opportunities in a learning environment that promotes collaboration, individuality, capability and empowerment; to support students in leading meaningful and productive lives inside and outside of prison; and to provide education that boosts economic vitality for students as contributors and leaders within their communities.
Success and Retention
Education Changes Lives.
This is true not only for people on the outside, but for prisoners as well—especially for prisoners. We come from circumstances where education was either not an option; for most of us, surviving our immediate environment was the only thing we worried about. The greatest irony is that this lack of education is what led us to thinking we had no options.
Prison is one of the most hopeless places; for those of us who face lengthy sentences, even more so. We all made mistakes that led us to where we are. But now that we are here, what comes next? Certainly, there is more to life than to sit idly in his cell and waste away, but for many years, we had no hope of doing more. We had nothing that told us there were still possibilities for us to live a productive life. All we had were long suppressed dreams of what could have been.
Education however changed this kind of thinking. It not only gave us knowledge, it transformed our perspectives. It helps us realize the possibility of a better future and that we can still contribute something of substance to society."
-Brian Yang/Pelican Bay Scholar
Program Highlights
- 28 Dean’s List and 50 President’s Honor Roll students during Fall 2021
- Serving two level IV and one level II facilities within Pelican Bay State Prison.
- Students enroll in 1-5 courses (3-17.5 units) each semester.
WE OFFER OUR STUDENTS:
- Individualized educational planning, financial aid and college transfer preparation assistance.
- A hands-on learning environment with materials and support labs.
- Opportunities to emerge as leaders within the learning environment.
- Workshops with guest speakers to connect and learn about professions, overcoming barriers, university transfer and appropriate engagement in professional environments.
History
The CR Pelican Bay Scholars program began in 2015 with non-credit Math and English preparatory classes.
During the Spring 2016 semester 21 students enrolled in the first “for credit” course; as of Fall 2019, over 300 students are enrolled in one or more of the 40 course offerings.
As of the Spring 2022 semester, the program continues to serves over 400 students and has issued 94 Associate Degrees.
Enrollment
