Success Stories

Stephanie

Stephanie King is soft-spoken and hardworking.

The 63-year-old Parole Project client, who served 27 years, seven months and 24 days at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women, understands that her one, second chance is enough to make a difference.

When she was released in October 2023, she had a degree in Christian Ministry with a minor in Women’s Ministry from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) and was nine credits short from a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Tulane University’s School of Professional Advancement.

“When I got to prison, women couldn’t get a degree, you could only go to vocational school,” King said. “So I went for office occupations and culinary arts.” When the opportunity to attend NOBTS became available, she felt like it was a good fit and when she had a chance to go to Tulane, she knew that would elevate her even more.

Navigating newer technology and computers on the outside was a challenge, but with support from Parole Project, YouTube tutorials, and patient Tulane professors, King finished her Tulane degree in January and graduated with honors. She will officially walk in her cap and gown at the graduation ceremony in May 2025.

She now works as an administrative assistant for the Office of Public Defender in East Baton Rouge Parish, where her superpower is connecting with those and understanding the struggles they are facing. She owns a car and lives in a gated apartment with a roommate who is also an Parole Project client. She feels empowered and confident to know that her hard work and perseverance has paid off and others have noticed, too.

“Stephanie King has been an amazing asset to our office.  She brings an enviable work ethic that would revolutionize the workforce if it could be cloned,” said Kyla Romanach, chief public defender for the 19th JDC Office of Public Defender. “She understands the importance of the work she is doing for the clients we serve, so she completes all of her work both accurately and efficiently.”

Having a college degree is an important milestone for Stephanie who said she felt like the black sheep in her successful family because of unresolved pain from her mom’s death, a history of drug addiction, and multiple bad choices that landed her in prison for nearly three decades.

“My dad worked at NASA, and I came from a good home. My sisters and brothers all had degrees,” King said. “My mom died when I was 15 and it was very traumatic for me, I was never really able to come back from that. I didn’t finish school, I got pregnant and had a baby. I didn’t have a career before I went into prison. I waited tables, cooked at restaurants, cleaned, dealt drugs, I did whatever I could to make money to take care of my child. I always felt like I was less than, like I couldn’t succeed.”

When asked how she defines success, she quickly answers, “Achieving your goals,” and then pauses and elaborates.

“The NOBTS degree made me feel halfway validated and the Tulane degree made me feel a cut above. It wasn’t an easy degree, and even though I was smart, and I picked up on things really quickly, I wasn’t young anymore,” she said. “All my life I kind of survived. When I got out, I set the goals I have, I want to finish school. I want a decent job. I want to buy a car. I want a decent place to live, and in a year, I managed to do all of those things.”

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