Erin Hart
I want to be someone that people can look up to and see that it’s possible."
Erin Hart is two classes away from completing her Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Business. Like many other students who earn this degree, she’ll enter TCC’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management program in the fall. Before that happens, she’ll need to find an apartment in the Tacoma area, where her family is waiting for her to be released from the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women (MCCCW).
When Erin found out about the Bachelor’s program two quarters ago, she didn’t know if it was for her. Then she had a Zoom meeting with the program chair, Mary Jane Oberhofer.
“The stars started aligning, and before you know it, I got an acceptance letter,” Erin said.
The classes Erin will take in the fall will be offered online. Unlike most TCC classes, which are offered “asynchronously,” so that people can watch lectures and complete assignments whenever they have time, the Applied Management program classes will be offered “synchronously.” Synchronous classes are just like in-person classes, with designated meeting times – except everyone is online.
The Applied Management program has different tracks, including Program Management and Human Resources. Erin plans to focus on Human Resources.
Erin says she’s never been one for big dreams, and it’s only in the last couple years that she started thinking about the future. But now she has a plan.
“I came up with a nonprofit called Beyond Incarceration, helping women releasing into the community. I want to do non-profit work -- that’s my passion -- and work with human trafficking advocates of some sort.”
Like the college itself, TCC’s Corrections Education Programs have had to adapt due to the pandemic. Some of the changes have been positive: students finally got laptops, for instance, and Erin has been able to help others in her unit with their Independent Study courses. But overall, she says, it’s been a rough year.
“The prison has shut down any access to outsiders, but by the grace of God, the one thing they haven’t taken away is our education,” Erin said. “It’s taught me how to preserver through tough times. I used to always run, but I’ve learned to face things head on.”
Perseverance is key as Erin sets up the supports she’ll need to complete her BAS degree. She has limited access to the internet, so when Education Navigator Emily Jones visits Mission Creek on Wednesdays she helps Erin complete her FAFSA, apply for a TCC Foundation scholarship, apply for the BAS program, and look for a place to live. Finding an apartment may prove to be the most difficult challenge of all – especially in Tacoma’s crowded rental market. Realistically, Erin expects to land somewhere outside the city limits.
“Finding housing for anyone who has experienced incarceration is profoundly difficult,” Jones said. “A lot of things still need to fall into place.”
But Erin will have support. An advocacy group called “Civil Survival Gamechangers” meets at TCC. A group called “Pierce County Partners for Transition Solutions” meets monthly to help formerly incarcerated people trying to re-integrate into society problem-solve issues.
“I always tell students that TCC has a lot of resources you wouldn’t expect – like help with housing, and the food pantry,” Jones said.
Erin has made the most of her time in MCCCW’s educational programs. She’s been a teacher’s aid for three years, and was recently nominated for the Association for Community College Trustees (ACT) Transforming Lives Award for tutoring the women at Mission Creek and inspiring them to reach their educational goals.
“I want to be someone that people can look up to and see that it’s possible,” Erin said. “I hope every day how I feel in here is how I’m going to feel when I get out. Your actions prove who you are, not what you’ve done in the past.”