Today, [Shawn] Khalifa is a program coordinator at Irvine Valley College, a father and a soon-to-be graduate of UC Irvine. … He took advantage of the Underground Scholars program, which helps provide resources and support to formerly incarcerated students on campus and guidance for community college students who want to transfer to a university. … “It’s rewarding to see him go full circle, and I’m excited to see what he’s going to do at Irvine Valley College,” said [Hector] Cervantes [director of UCI’s Underground Scholars Program]. …“Education gives you ownership over your intelligence and abilities. No one’s going to take these degrees from me and people want to hire people with knowledge,” Khalifa said.

For the full story, please visit https://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot/news/story/2024-01-27/once-behind-bars-as-a-convicted-murderer-uc-irvine-student-now-looks-ahead-to-future.