I am a young spirited woman. I strive to keep God number one in my life. Besides experiencing refills of God's love and grace every morning and throughout my day, the second reason I look forward to another day of life is due to my mom. Being forced to live in a completely different world from her is the ultimate mental anguish I have ever endured in my life. Every day, the expectation or desire for our absence to get easier fails to manifest into reality. However the stamina to carry that heart ache everyday becomes easier to handle along with my mental and emotional baggage. I love to learn, and then apply my new knowledge to my life. I have a strong enjoyment for art, and I look forward to transforming my skill in art from a hobby into a career. Playing basketball gives me a wonderful overwhelming sense of peace within myself. I look forward to continuing to take advantage of this opportunity to further my education, better my life and rewrite my family's history and legacy.
Ten years ago, I walked into court where the judge sentenced me to 45 years. God told me I would not do all of that time. I have not lost my faith. I am currently enrolled in OC’s program to get my associates degree. After that, I plan to continue my education in order to get an engineering degree. My goal in life is to build compact, self-sustaining homes for people getting out of prison. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” My heart strives to make a difference in the world. Society does not think about how someone’s life is affected after they are sentenced. They do not see the kindness, the joy, the talent, the positivity, or the desire to help the community that I see. The difference I want to make in the world is for society to see the humanity in prisoners, and to be aware that a bad mistake does not make them a bad person.It makes them human.
Hello, I am 30. I am a proud mother of four as well. I work as a tutor in our education department at Mabel Bassett. I currently tutor 9-10th grade. My passion is education. I never dreamed that I would want to tutor adults, however it has been the best job I have ever had. Going to Oklahoma Christian has given me a new aspect on education. It has given me the hope and the encouraging words to say to others. It is the most positive experience that I could ask for in a place called prison. I am currently working on my associates. Thanks to Oklahoma Christian for giving me the blessing to go to college. Upon release, I would like to work in adult education and further my college education. I want to do everything with my will power to help others and to make the world a better place.
I’m 40 years old and have been at Mabel Bassett for seven years. I decided when I arrived here I would use my time wisely. I have signed up for every available class offered on this yard. I received my GED, cosmetology license, and currently working on an Associate’s Degree in Science. I dedicate my time to exercise, school and discipleship. The HOPE program has given me a second chance at life. This program has affected me in more ways than one. I’m proud to say that I’m now a role model my children can be proud of. Upon being released, I plan on opening my own salon and using my chair as a platform to spread the word of God. I would also like to start a program for women formally incarcerated or single mothers that have not received their GED’s and/or struggle with basic life and communication skills. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to better my future and eventually be able to pay it forward. This has given me the confidence and ability to be a productive member of society. I will forever be grateful for this opportunity and do my best to live up to the challenge.
Hello, I am a 48 year old student at Oklahoma Christian University. I am a Christian woman that loves the Lord God with all other heart. Jesus died on the cross for my sins and He is my Savior. I have a 15 year old son that means the world to me, I love being a mother more than I have ever loved to do anything. My hobbies are crafting and exercising. I choose to make cards and have sent my son one every week for the last 4 years. I love to exercise because it makes me feel good and it is good for me. I love learning and growing in any way possible. It is never too late to improve yourself mentally, physically or spiritually. I am thankful for the opportunity that God has provided for me through OC.
I am currently incarcerated at Mabel Basset Correctional Center. I’ve been here for seven years and I’ve learned a lot about myself and about what is important in life. I’ve attended and completed many classes like Faith and Character, Thinking for a Change, and Victim’s Impact. I’m now enrolled at OC, which I am so excited about, and it has been one the best experiences of my life. Obtaining a college degree has always been a dream of mine but, until now, not possible due to financial issues. I have always loved to learn and challenge myself mentally. This experience has been all that I hoped for and more. I am so proud to be a part of this program because gives me real hope for the future. Not to mention, I am setting an example for my three children by showing them how to overcome in the face of adversity. I will be eternally grateful for the positive change this experience has made in my life and my children’s as well.
I am 28 years old. As a young child, I experienced adversity and trauma leading me down the wrong path early on. I have been incarcerated since I was 15 years old, but my incarceration does not define me. I have trudged the trenches and worked hard to better myself. I am a very passionate, creative, ambitious and driven woman. I have used my many talents to strive to be successful. Mistakes riddled my life but do not make up the person I have become. My biggest hope in life is to be someone, someday, my family can be proud of. I am grateful to the HOPE Institute for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime of a full-ride college scholarship. I have a 4.0 grade average and wish to graduate Summa Cum Laude of my class. I love God and I know without Him nothing is possible, but with Him, the possibilities are endless. With this opportunity, I plan to use my knowledge and my experience to prevent struggling youth from making the same mistakes I made. Giving back is who I am and what I plan to do.
I am 32 years old and I have four children. I have been locked up for almost seven year now. Art is not really my thing, well what you think of art. I enjoy beadwork, I am Cherokee, Choctaw, and Apache and so I enjoy honoring the heritage of my people. I enjoy sports as well as my job in our law library. I also enjoy learning so going to school is the escape that I need to get through my day.
My name is... well, we’ve been asked not to use our names, so for the purpose of anonymity, my name is Daughter. You can call me “Daughter of the King”. I am in the second half of the years I’ve been given on this earth, and currently residing in the exclusive gated community known as Mabel Bassett. I am happily married to my husband of 31 years, mother to a daughter and son who have grown into wonderful adults, and grandmother to two delightful little boys. I began my personal walk with Christ as a child. Growing up in an abusive home, I found love and purpose in a church family and through serving Him. As a teenager, I felt the call to some type of mission field, but I never imagined it would be found inside a razor-wire fence. For most of my life, my mission was music and children - they were my gift and passion. Now, God has allowed me to be placed among a community of women that I might never have otherwise met. I am learning every day how to love in difficult circumstances and to see each woman here as one of God’s beloved daughters. This amazing opportunity for a college education through Oklahoma Christian University is allowing me to develop myself in ways I never thought possible. I am discovering talents and developing skills I never knew that I possessed. I don’t yet know the extent to which God plans to use me, but I have to believe He has a much bigger purpose than I can imagine still planned for me. While I long desperately to be back with my family and serving in my home church, as long as I am in this place, I will continue to try every day to fulfill my primary purpose of being a light in the dark.
Hello, I am currently incarcerated and have thirteen years left on my sentence. I am thirty-six years old my birthday is January ninth. God has blessed me, my whole life even when I was sent to prison. I have three children. One I gave birth to and two that I raised from birth, two girls and one boy. I have a grandson that will be two in April. I have been married for ten years, but we have known each other for twenty years. My husband and I have had hard times and good times. I have had cancer three times and he has been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, coming to prison was another bump in our marriage, but we made it through. Before coming to prison I liked to do anything outdoors with the family, but now that I am in prison I like to read my Bible, talk to my family, crocheting, and training dogs. Since I have been in prison I have had time to get my GED, which I would not had the time for or even though about doing. I now have a job skill of training dogs and last I am in college working on a degree. I have always want to go to college but I felt like if I did not have time to get a GED I would not have time to go to college with three kids. When I get out and have this degree I have plan to start my own dog training business, so that I can help other people train their dogs or just educate them on dog behavior. I feel like life is to short and sometimes we take it for granted until it is taking away we do not think about what we have or had. So start living your life like there is no tomorrow and enjoy the family as much as possible.
I am a blessed and grateful 30 year old mother to a 12 year old son. I am a daddy’s girl and very family oriented. Family means everything to me and without family, I feel as though I would not know what to do. I am a firm believer in God, and walk his path each and every day. I stumble at times, but he always picks me up and continues to lead me. In my spare time I like to listen to music, watch movies, and spend time with friends. I am a lover not a fighter, and I try to make peace in any way I can. The scripture I live by is Jeremiah 29:11. Fall is my favorite season, purple is my favorite color, and kiwi is my favorite fruit. I am a proud college student and I am very grateful to have this opportunity to expand my education. I feel as though I have grown and have become wiser within myself and to others. I am blessed and highly favored.
Beginning at Oklahoma Christian University as a 43 mother of four and living with Biopolar 1, I thought that college was going to be a challenge for me. The only thing I struggle with was thoughts that my children will never have to live in poverty again. Showing myself and family member, that if you dream of a future, you can have anything in that dream and more. I keep reading the poster “The sky is limit”, that not true. The sky is so big and wide you’ll never be able to take it all in for yourself and there is so much more explore. Been given this opportunity to achieve a part of my dream is a start, I would Like to attend “The Last Mile” at Mabel Bassett Correctional it’s a computer coding class. Today is a new chapter for me, they will not only look pass the number and color that I will shred when the time is right and welcome me back into the community I long for. Thank you is not enough for the gratitude and love I now a new space in my heart for the new family that has welcome me with open mind and open hearts to do something 1 never could have done alone. With this degree I will help the community and the women, men coming out of prison with Biopolar 1 disorders and group therapy. I’m that someone who has a reason to smile.
I am 41 years young. Before I was condemned to prison, I was a Therapeutic foster parent, CNA, and I worked with people consumed with mental and physical disabilities, which I enjoyed. Working with my clients brought a great deal of fulfillment into my life. I am now determined to advocate for people to receive a second chance within the unjust criminal system. I have always been a person with strength, focus, and vision. My passion is taking care of others and being the voice of the unheard. I am ambitious and capable of making sugar out of vinegar. I have always been driven by my poverty-stricken childhood, and I never would accept that fate for my children. I am not captive in my mind, only by my body... My circumstances had the ability to have me angry, bitter and untrusting. I am looking forward to finding the good in the world. While being at MBCC, I completed the Faith and Character program and upon graduation, I was chosen to remain as a mentor for the future participants. I have been a voice for many people who had nowhere to turn. I also have started the H.E.R.O program with twelve other women. It is an organization of incarcerated women who would like to see a positive change on the yard and be a positive influence themselves. We will have classes that the facility has lacked to provide. I am over stress management and coping with grief. This is only a fraction of my accomplishments within the eight years of being here.
When OC arrived in my life, I knew that it was confirmation that I was on the right path. With the degree that OC is providing, I can go into social work and give a hand to those lacking the resources to be productive members of society. I am hopeful that I can help prevent an incarceration, even if it is just one person. I will do amazing work with this degree and opportunity. For every door closed, I only need one to open. I found my door. Thank you and God Bless!
Here is a little peek at who I am. I am 37 yrs old. I gave birth to four beautiful children. I have done 13yrs of a Life sentence. My family and friends are my life. Some might even say I care for them more then I do for myself. Before coming to prison, I worked with Autistic and Down syndrome children. They were amazing children to be around and work with. It always brought joy to my day to see them thrive. Coming to MBCC was heartbreaking. I lost everything. After the initial shock, I came to realize it saved my life. I have become stronger and learned many new skills. I was part of the first six to start the Guardian Angels Dog Program. I became one of the top trainers. I also worked in education, tutoring women that did not have a chance at an education. I also became a life coach after graduating the class. I taught it for five years. Thanks to OC and the Sarkeys Scholarship committee, I get the chance to live one of my dreams and go to college. With this degree, I plan to open my own dog training facility. Working with dogs make my heart smile. I am also attending career Tech for the HVAC trade and learning a few other technical trades. With this, I would like to become a contractor. I love working with my hands and being able to see my accomplishments. I work hard and never have to be told twice to complete a task. I love to stay busy, my loved ones has told me many times that I will run myself into an early grave if I do not slow down. I am very active, love playing sports. My favorites to play are volleyball and softball, especially when I am stressed out. I also love to read. There is nothing like snuggling underneath the covers with a good book to relax your mind. This is only a chapter of who I am. God has a purpose for my life. I am waiting the day of departure, to take life by the horns and show my daughters and the world that a woman can do the work of a man and you can come back from any mistakes you make. I am living proof of that.
I am a 23 year old, small town girl. I am loving, ambitious, strong-willed, kind, driven, and blessed beyond measure. I am a daughter, sister, auntie, friend, and fur-mama. My passion is caring for others. Someday you may find me parked on the side of the highway, helping a turtle cross the road. My plan upon my release is to defeat the odds against the convicted, further my education and earn a career in which I will help others, and save lives. I aim to have an awesome credit score, keep my family close, and God closer. My ultimate goal in life is to be successful—and to always recognize happiness as success. My favorite cliche is “when you get knocked down, you get back up again,” which was commonly phrased my father. My life verse is Colossians 1:17, which says, “He is before all things. And with Him, all things hold together.” This verse is a reminder that without God, nothing is possible, but with God, anything is possible. To conclude, I must confess my profound love for tacos and guacamole.
The Lord has created in me a heart of gratitude. I am thankful for every trial and tribulation I have endured for they have been a learning experience. 1 am a 34 year old woman, mother, and daughter here at Mable Bassett. My situation has taught me to be content in every circumstance. I have been incarcerated since 2018, my life has been totally transformed by the grace of God. 1 have taken many classes to retrain my thinking process and learn how to be a more functioning person. My children and parents are more proud than words could ever explain. I have been blessed with the opportunity of a lifetime with the H.O.P.E Institute and OC. I know now I can conquer the world ahead of me with the God inside of me. I know that one day I will be able to help woman that are or were in the same situation as I once was. I will be an influence to others because there is hope.
I am a 46 year old and the mother of two wonderful children. My daughter is 25 years old and my son is deceased. I enjoy being a mother, and it gives me pleasure to know that my daughter is doing well. She is a cosmetologist and enjoys her job very much. I get to talk to her on the phone, and see her when we visit. My family is important to me for a lot of reasons. They have supported me through everything. I know they pray for me daily and it lifts my spirits. I would not be the person I am today if it were not for all of my family.
My hobbies are going fishing, swimming, and cooking. I love to just get in the kitchen / and figure out something to make. But I also like to cook some good old home cooking items as well. I grandmothers both taught me many valuable lessons in the kitchen that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
In the future I would like to try and make a difference in other people’s lives that are coming out of prison with nowhere to go. I would like to open up a sobriety house and a bakery. I would to offer the ladies and gentlemen a job at the bakery, and if they do not have somewhere to stay they can stay at the house. I will have rules for them to follow, but also will give them a hand up to better themselves and to be able to support themselves. Going to college has open my eyes to a lot of new opportunities that I thought I would never have. I have learned to use my voice, and to be able to talk in front of people for the first time. The professors that have come and taught all of us are really good. They have encouraged me to know my own self-worth. I cannot thank Oklahoma Christian enough for the chance to attend college and to be able to better myself. Before incarceration, my life revolved around my mom and work. Since then, my life now revolves around God and serving Him by improving and taking care of myself while helping others as much as possible. I was in county jail for 2 ½ years due to COVID and other delays. Since coming to Mabel Bassett 1 ½ years ago. I’ve gotten my HiSET (high school equivalency) certificate, was valedictorian of the HiSET program for the past 4 years, have completed 6 credit hours of college with the OC, remaining misconduct free and a level 4 (the highest privilege level in prison), participating in positive programs, and actively worshipping God. I am 49 years old and currently have no family, except some distant cousins, but I intend to build some sort of family through church, friends, and, if God willing, marriage. I am very curious, have a strong desire to help and understand, love to be creative and resourceful, and have a love of nature.
My interests and hobbies are of a great variety and genres, but are only valuable in how they’re used for God’s will and glory, to help and inspire myself and others. They range from learning to learn and recall stuff better, the sciences, and histories to all aspects of art, crafting, and making to seeking God’s purpose and guidance for us, how to accomplish them, and the best ways to worship and honor Him. I’m also a bibliophile (a lover of books). I enjoy reading most genres, but lean more towards mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy. I also enjoy making books. My music preferences are just as eclectic. These range from baroque and Tchaikovsky to alternative rock and Christian rock like Imagine Dragons, Skillet, Toby Mac, and Mercy Me to Queen, AC/DC and some Korn to some rap and hip-hop like Eminem and Snoop Dogg. I also have a weakness for cheese, cookies, and some breads. My immediate goals are to further my education with the generosity and dedication of the OC and the HOPE Institute and to prepare myself to be a mental health counselor with art therapy emphasis. I’ve found people who’ve experienced only negativity and destruction find pride, self-confidence and positivity through learning and creating with art and crafts. I have also taken Life Coaching seminars and I’m practicing active and intuitive listening to help others find solutions to their troubles. My ultimate goals are to supply more affordable housing in Oklahoma, set up a Book Angel project to supply jails and prisons with a wide variety of books, set up a food delivery service supplying economical healthy fresh food and supplies that accepts SNAP (food stamps), be financially independent, continue counseling in some form, and be part of an interconnected network of philanthropic organizations to help people help themselves, others, and the world by providing needed tools, skills, resources, and support, God willing. Meanwhile, I’m finding joy and purpose following God’s path for me helping those I never considered helping before my incarceration. The beautiful thing about life is it never turns out the way we plan. Rather than plan, I have learned to live and today while living I am striving to decrease and let the Lord increase. These acts come through doing some of the small things I enjoy such as, spending time with the elderly incarcerated woman and the mental health patients here at Mabel Bassett. I enjoy sitting with the Lord asking Him to revel where he wants to take me today, and who I can pray with. Through the Lord and my new journey with OC I am starting to understand what my purpose in life is. As human as I am I still have many struggles but at the end of the day I am just grateful to be bestowed with the unmerited favor of God. I guess that is what you call grace.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.