News

Chad Finch goes to work, goes to church, and is planning his next degree. He is also serving year 15 of a 20-year sentence—a fact he no longer expects to define him.

With nearly 25 years’ experience in fabrication, Finch currently works at Cornhusker State Industries while serving his sentence in the Community Corrections Center in Lincoln, a facility for people on work or educational release from the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. He’s mapping out his next semester at Southeast Community College, his transfer to Doane University, and the bachelor’s degree he will pursue.

“I am super excited about my future,” Finch said. “I know because of my past, I will have drawbacks. But with the skills, the degrees, and the knowledge that I’ve gained from the college, it has given me a confidence that I would not have if I was just getting out on my own.”

Finch enrolled in SCC’s UPWARD program when it started at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. He had started a degree before his sentence began, and when SCC announced it was offering classes inside, he was one of the first to sign up. Because more than a decade had passed since his earlier coursework in machine tool and technology, not all of his credits transferred. He took what he needed and finished with an Associate of Applied Science in Integrated Technology.

“I’m grateful for the teachers that were involved, and I can’t praise them enough,” Finch said. “They come into our environment, and they treat us like human beings, like anybody else. We thrive in that kind of condition, we appreciated that.”

When Finch earned his degree, he wasn’t able to celebrate graduation with the rest of his class. When he transferred to the Center for People on work release, SCC staff threw him a graduation ceremony there.

“That was amazing,” Finch said. “I kind of saw it coming, but all I expected was maybe a picture with my robe on. But they brought me a chocolate cake, and it made me feel really important, and I appreciate that.”

That kind of accommodation is what the work looks like up close—a small gesture beyond a program description or a recruitment pitch. Now he spends his off-hours at the Center working on his resume with staff, including his navigator, Paula Creps.

“Paula has just been phenomenal with her ability to work with the Center and the school,” Finch said. “She makes it as seamless as possible to transfer over and get the things I need. I’m impressed with her a lot.”

Finch will be on SCC’s campus for summer classes, then on to Doane and whatever comes next. He wants the same path for everyone behind him.

“I have a passion for education and success out of prison,” Finch said. “I would like to see everybody that’s in prison have a good job, succeed, and do better. You take this, and you give it to them, and they’re a better person for it.”

Damon Bennett
Activities Information Director
402-437-2077
dbennett@southeast.edu