When Sarah Mikal watched a YouTube video on the dysfunction of the United States prison system, she knew she wanted to help solve the problem. The Best Foot Forward program has allowed her to do that.

Mikal, a junior finance and marketing major, is currently the project leader of Best Foot Forward, which is designed to help female inmates transition back into society.

“There’s always this feeling of perpetuity,” Mikal said. “But most inmates are sent back out into the real world.”

Mikal and her team of 10 other women work at the Jamesville Correctional Facility, a 15-minute drive from the Syracuse University campus. They teach female inmates basic technical skills such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and coding to help build their resumes.

“They were asking questions,” Mika said. “They really wanted to see a change in their life and they were willing to work hard for it.”

The goal is to place as many inmates in jobs upon their release as possible. The last class of inmates had two women immediately employed after they were released from prison.

Mikal has been able to organize with many local businesses to give inmate interviews after prison and is currently trying to reach out to even more.

While the main goal of the program is to help the inmates obtain jobs and build their resumes, Mikal said another large part of the program is helping them readjust to life outside of prison.

“The biggest culture shock that I’ve heard inmates say is that they’re on a different timeline,” she said. “They feel like they’re not with the trends.”

But the inmates are not the only people who benefit from this experience. Mikal said working with the inmates has helped her develop her patience, intuition and technical skills.

“We get a chance to understand a different perspective,” she said. “It’s a really good experience that will change your life forever.”

Published on October 7, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact Katie: kazilcos@syr.edu