Sturtevant---At a graduation ceremony last week for the latest Gateway students to receive a CNC operator certificate, the tears that flowed had little to do with running a machine.
Emotions started to show when student speaker Rachel Klimaszewski talked about how she and her fellow graduates also received a boost in self-esteem, and a renewed hope for the future—to be fully realized only when they’re finally released from prison.
The 28 year-old Klimaszewski and ten other graduates are all inmates at Ellsworth Correctional Institution, a minimum security prison for females near Union Grove.
The ceremony—attended by Gov. Walker—was held Thursday at the SC Johnson iMET Center, where the students traveled several times a week from April through September to receive training on how to run computerized machines. They also earned extra credits in speech and math.
The skills learned put the women on track to land good-paying jobs that are in high demand.
The intangible benefits of their Gateway instruction have to do with personal growth and building a brighter future for themselves. “Many of us are having to start over,” said Klimaszewski, who’s serving time for a string of drug-related offenses. “Each and every one of us has a fire burning inside for something more, something better,” she said.
Hinting at past problems, Klimaszewski continued: “We no longer have to rely on anyone to support our family. Fear and worry for our future is dissipating. We have renewed strength. We have hope. For the first time in my life I can really say I am proud of myself.”
In his remarks, Gov. Walker offered his congratulations. “There’s no limit to your possibilities,” he said. “With the skills that you got, there are people literally banging down the door who want to employ you because of the skills you have.”
With the unemployment rate running below 3%, employers are increasingly looking at the state’s prison and jail populations for help in filling positions.
If the joint venture between Gateway and the Dept. of Corrections continues to go well, Walker promised to support additional funding to expand inmate training programs. “This isn’t just a feel-good thing,” he said. “This is something that’s absolutely necessary.”
CNC instructor Neil Petersen said the class' overall high achievement level and the eagerness of the students to learn convinced him to continue teaching rather than retire. “I’ve never had a full class give us this much energy,” he said.
This is the program's second cohort to graduate. The next group starts this fall.
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