Ronald F. Day
The Fortune Society
Boston, MA USA
"An investment in one’s education is an investment worth making."
Career Roadmap
Ronald F.'s work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Education, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
GED
Bachelor's Degree
Liberal Arts and Sciences
SUNY
Graduate Degree
Non-Profit Management
Baruch College
Doctorate
Criminal Justice
CUNY Graduate Center
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
I dropped out of high school in ninth grade, caught in a world where the only success I saw came from the streets.
2.
Sentenced to 15 years in prison, I took my first college class inside Sing Sing prison, unsure but willing to try something different.
3.
I read Malcolm X’s autobiography, which was a turning point for me—it made me really start to look at education as a way to turn my life around.
4.
When the Pell Grants were cut, I was determined to continue my education dreams out of prison and into the free world.
5.
I earned my bachelor's, then my master’s with honors, and finally completed a Ph.D.
6.
Returning to teach college in the same prison where I began my education became one of the most meaningful full-circle moments of my life.
7.
Today, I serve as Senior Vice President at the Fortune Society, where I fight for reentry housing, justice reform, and dignity for those returning home.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Education isn't important.
How I responded:
Growing up, I was caught up in a world where the only success I saw came from the streets. I dropped out of college in ninth grade, thinking that education wasn't important, and made my way down the wrong path. It wasn't until I was in prison that I started seeing education as a medium for success and empowerment. Education turned my life around. After being released from prison, I went on to earn my bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I served 15 years in New York state prison. I had to grapple with the challenges, negativities, and stigma, both in prison and after being released. I focused on education to pull myself up. It's my mission now to help others like me.
I was very close to my mother who passed away in the middle of my degree program. It's easy to want to give up after that but I knew my mother would want me to continue forward. So I pushed through and continued my education to make her proud.