Seminole State College Assistant Professor of English Yasminda Choate recently presented on the value of community colleges bringing educational programs to incarcerated persons at the Rural Community College Alliance Conference in Park City, Utah.
Assistant Professor of English Yasminda Choate.
Choate’s passion for the topic began while she was researching the access barriers incarcerated women faced regarding higher education. Choate found that higher education, including vocational work, has a proven record of reducing recidivism.
“This is especially important in rural America because many people who become incarcerated return to their places of origin,” Choate said. “In smaller communities where jobs are scarce and educational attainment often low, formerly incarcerated persons often find it easier to return to criminal activities than to find employment.”
Choate has been employed by SSC since January 2012. Prior to her work at the college, she served as a grant writer for a community college in North Texas and then worked for a community health center in Seminole County. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from East Central University, her Master’s degree in English from Texas A & M-Commerce, and she is presently finishing her Doctorate in Higher Education Administration at the University of Oklahoma.