Tara was in prison.

Not many knew she had gone to prison. Not even her parents. 

Not that they could have known. But what would they have thought if they had found out? 

It’s a tricky question. Growing up, Tara’s uncle often found himself behind bars, so perhaps it wasn’t wholly unexpected. 

But Tara had originally charted a different course for herself. Her dad had dropped out of school in the 7th grade. Her mom had dropped out of college. But Tara had decided she was not only going to graduate from college. She was going to get her PhD. 

But then, in high school, her dad suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. The loss hit Tara hard. Tara’s mom had been struggling, so her dad had been the bedrock of the family. Now it fell to Tara to be that foundation. She felt that weight of responsibility. And it was heavy. 

But she persevered. She went to college. She graduated. She started graduate school. 

Then the call came. On her birthday, of all days. It was her brother. He was frantic. He said the paramedics were there. 

Tara doesn’t remember many other details from that call, or who took the phone to tell her the news. To this day, she can’t remember who told her she’d lost her mom. Memory is funny that way.

Tara’s mom had been far from perfect. We all are. She had made questionable decisions. We all have. But she had been a fierce protector of her children, and losing her left a painful hole in Tara’s life that would never be fully filled.

But Tara persevered. She finished her PhD in Social Psychology and got a job as a professor at Monmouth College.

And that is when she found herself in the Henry Hill Correctional facility. 

But it wasn’t a typical prison sentence. After all, Tara volunteered for it. Professors at the university had the opportunity to spend some of their free time teaching life skills to men who were about to be released from prison, helping them prepare to re-enter society. Helping them prepare for their new shot at life.

So, what would her parents have thought, knowing their daughter was in prison?

They must have been proud. 

Pictured is Tara, of Duluth, Minnesota, wearing the Pangolin design.

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