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From prison to a campus home: CSU Fullerton welcomes formerly incarcerated students
Noember 15, 2022
EdSource covering education in California and beyond. Project Rebound, a campus-based student program dedicated to helping students meet their goal of graduating from the CSU system upon their release from prison.
Project Rebound Scholars Pay it Forward with New Program to Help Juvenile Offenders
April 7, 2022
The Orange County Register highlights the launch of Project Rebound's "Dare to Dream" program designed to build higher educational pathways and mentorship for Orange County youths involved in the criminal legal system.
Project Rebound Community Gives Thanks for a Second Chance
December 2, 2021
Project Rebound's annual Friendsgiving event, which brings together students, staff, faculty, family, and community partners together to give thanks and celebrate student and program accomplishments, is spotlighted by the Orange County Register.
Titan Community Opened ‘Countless Doors’ for Re-Entry Student to Become Outstanding Senior
May 28, 2021
Project Rebound graduate Sergio Torres is spotlighted by Cal State Fullerton News for his "heart of gold" and his receipt of the University Alumni Association’s Outstanding Senior Award.
Amid Challenges, CSUF’s Project Rebound Keeps Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Students
September 24, 2020
The Orange County Register highlights how Project Rebound is overcoming the challenges of the global pandemic to continue and enhance its support of formerly incarcerated students and their families through the Project Rebound Food Justice Initiative, prodiving students with a community garden, horticultural training, a culinary curriculum, and food pantry.
Project Rebound: The Road to Redemption
August 7, 2020
The California State University Chancellor's Office of Public Affairs tells how Cal State Fullerton Project Rebound graduate and valedictorian, Ginny Oshiro '20, felt like she wouldn't belong on a university campus--until she met CSUF Project Rebound Program Director Romarilyn Ralston. “Romarilyn told me, 'Not only do you belong here, but you need to sit in the front of the class and ask questions,'" Oshiro recalls. “'And if you don't have a question, raise your hand and add a comment.' She was the first person to tell me I belonged and I was allowed to take up space in a classroom." Now Ginny is earning a doctorate in Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine.
Project Rebound Student Sets Her Sights on Criminal Justice Reform
May 28, 2020
The Orange County Register writes a feature on 2020 Project Rebound graduate and valedictorian, Ginny Oshiro, who after battling a cycle of addiction, homelessness, and incarceration is now on her way to earn a doctorate in Criminology, Law, and Society at the University of California, Irvine. “I think as someone who has been mentored by formerly incarcerated people," Oshiro said, "it’s been the Project Rebound community that has transformed my life.”
Boundless Opportunity
Spring 2020 Issue
Titan Magazine highlights the journey of Project Rebound alumnus JC Cavitt from San Quentin state prison to the Dean's list at California State University, Fullerton, graduate school, and a leadership role as the Housing Coordinator for CSUF Project Rebound's John Irwin House, the first transformative housing community for formerly incarcerated university students in the nation.
Retired Industry Leaders Mentor Project Rebound Students
Spring 2020 Issue
Titan Magazine features Project Rebound's mentorship program, created in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Project Rebound students like Ginny Oshiro and Sergio Torres receive mentorship from retired industry leaders and in turn provide mentors with meaning, purpose, perspective, and inspiration.
Project Rebound Alumnus Finds Calling in Counseling
Spring 2020 Issue
Project Rebound alumnus turned CSUF staff, Mirvais Aminy, is the subject of this Titan Magazine feature. Aminy is a gifted counselor and advocate who inspires and uplifts all whom he encounters. Don't miss the video!
CSUF's Project Rebound Graduates on the Path to Success
May 23, 2019
The Orange County Register writes a feature on the 2019 Project Rebound Graduatation and Awards Banquet, where we celebrate our graduates and recognize important contributions of our partners and supporters. “Our students come out with an immense amount of tenacity, an immense amount of grit," said Project Rebound Founder and Executive Director, Brady Heiner. "Part of what we provide in Project Rebound is a community of support and a culture of belonging that allows our students to flourish.”
CSU Fullerton Sociology Major Uses Second Chance to Give Back to Community
May 15, 2019
The Orange County Register writes a feature on 2019 Project Rebound graduate, Mirvais Aminy, highlighting his mentorship of underserved served children through local non-profit Higher Ground. "I don’t like the term at-risk youth.... These are wonderful children. There is nothing at risk about them. It’s the environment they live in. I want to help these kids so they don’t have to go through what I went through."
Titan Voice: Redemption and Hope for a Future Begin Here
May 1, 2019
Project Rebound Scholar, Ginny Oshiro, writes in the Orange County Register about her personal journey of transformation through higher education. "Because of Project Rebound, I found a network of peers whom I could relate to. I felt more comfortable venturing out and making myself more visible and available on campus. I became a student ambassador for Project Rebound, an opportunity which empowered me to craft my narrative about my journey in a way that isn’t shameful and instead, fully integrated my lived experiences with who I am today, and my goals for the future."
CSUF’s Project Rebound Helps Formerly Incarcerated Students Reinvent their Lives
January 30, 2019
The Orange County Register highlights a few of our many inspiring students and their stories. "Project Rebound is set up to help students break through the barriers of employment, housing and transportation — as well as fear and self-doubt — to discover what’s possible in their lives through higher education."
Project Rebound Opens Doors for Formerly Incarcerated Students
October 9, 2018
The Daily Titan covers Project Rebound's presentation to the Cal State Fullerton Associated Students' Board of Directors: " Project Rebound is the first program in the state and possibly the country that provides a university-based housing option for previously incarcerated students." The John Irwin Memorial House, located in Fullerton, can house six students. Students receiving housing support earned an overall GPA of 3.7.
CSUF's Project Rebound Launches Housing Initiative
August 7, 2018
Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton opens the John Irwin Memorial House, the first collegiate reentry housing initiative in the nation! Up to six students will receive life-affirming, off-campus housing and wraparound support while they work toward their higher educational goals.
Most Influential 2017: Cal State Fullerton’s Heiner Helps Formerly Incarcerated People Earn College Degrees
December 22, 2017
The Orange County Register selects Project Rebound Founder and Executive Director, Brady Heiner, as one of the "Most Influential People in Orange County" for his work to launch Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton.
Project Rebound Coordinator Uses Education to Help Formerly Incarcerated Students
December 4, 2017
The Daily Titan publishes a feature on the important work Project Rebound Program Coordinator, Romarilyn Ralston, does every day to support students.
Paroling the Mind: A College Program Opens New Doors for Former Convicts
November 7, 2017
A thoughtful and sensitive profile feature of Project Rebound Program Coordinator, Romarilyn Ralston: "Education is that transformative practice that people can own and have agency. Education is something people cannot take away from you. It opens up new pathways, new career opportunities. But education also helps to change the way that you see yourself in the world. That’s what it did for me."
Incarcerated women risk their lives fighting California fires. It’s part of a long history of prison labor
October 22, 2017
Project Rebound Program Coordinator, Romarilyn Ralston, discusses the role of incarcerated firefighters in California and the historical connection between the use of their virtually unpaid labor to fight wild fires in California and the postbellum convict lease system.
Project Rebound’s “Bridge to Success” Event Introduces Educational Opportunities and Resources to the Previously Incarcerated
August 21, 2017
Project Rebound's "Summer Bridge to Success" program is featured in the Welcome Titans Guide, published in the first issue of the Daily Titan of the 2017-18 academic year.
Omar Chavez: The Future in Focus
June 30, 2017
Omar Chavez, the inaugural graduate of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Student Award from the CSUF Chicano Latino Faculty and Staff Association, is featured in CSUF News.
Cal State Fullerton President Mildred García: Project Rebound is a Second Chance for Society
June 27, 2017
Cal State Fullerton President Mildred García publishes a column in the Orange County Register championing Project Rebound as a redemptive program that offers a powerful solution to poverty and crime.
Hombre de 40 años se graduó de la Universidad Estatal de California tras pagar sentencia por transportar droga
May 20, 2017
Univision Noticias spotlights Omar Chavez, the inaugural graduate of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Student Award from the CSUF Chicano Latino Faculty and Staff Association.
First College Graduates from New Prisoner Reintegration Program
May 19, 2017
Southern California Public Radio highlights the inaugural graduate of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and interviews faculty, staff, and students.
CSUF Grads Share How They Got to the Top
May 15, 2017
Omar Chavez, the inaugural graduate of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and the recipient of the 2017 Outstanding Student Award from the CSUF Chicano Latino Faculty and Staff Association, is featured in the Orange County Register.
"The Human Spirit is Amazing, but the Human Condition Sometimes Sets Us Up for Prison. It Doesn't Have To. We Deserve Better."
May 11, 2017
A New Way of Life Reentry Project's national media campaign JustUs Voices, which highlights the stories and voices of formerly incarcerated women, features the story of Project Rebound Program Coordinator, Romarilyn Ralston.
From Prisoner to Scholar
May 5, 2017
Tusk Magazine discusses how Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton helps students make a positive change in their lives. “Education informs you and raises your consciousness and opens your heart and mind and your eyes to other ways of interacting with people, other ways of experiencing life.”
Project Rebound Director Receives University Leadership Award
April 14, 2017
Project Rebound Executive Director, Brady Heiner, receives 2017 University Leadership Award in recognition of "his vision and perseverance to expand the program for formerly incarcerated individuals to California State University campuses systemwide."
Program for Formerly Incarcerated Students Expands in CSU Schools
December 19, 2016
Southern California Public Radio's Take Two interviews Romarilyn Ralston, the Program Coordinator of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton, about the obstacles faced by returning citizens and the opportunities that Project Rebound brings.
Cal State's Project Rebound Wants to Make Life After Prison Successful Through Education
November 11, 2016
A front page article in the Los Angeles Times on the goals and mission of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and the importance of higher education for returning citizens.
Learning To Get Back on Their Feet
November 13, 2016
A feature by the San Diego Union-Tribune on the goals and mission of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and the importance of higher education for returning citizens.
Education Opportunities Grow at CSUF for Former Inmates
September 12, 2016
An Orange County Register feature on Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and the CSU Project Rebound Consortium.
Project Rebound hits CSUF
October 19, 2016
A feature by the Daily Titan Newspaper on the history, goals, and mission of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton, with interviews of Executive Director Brady Heiner and Program Coordinator Romarilyn Ralston.
From Convict to College Student
August 26, 2016
The Atlantic magazine writes a story on the way that California’s public universities are starting to embrace a program that helps transition people from prison to campus.
New CSU Program Gives Ex-Convicts Support to Earn College Degrees
July 6, 2016
Southern California Public Radio's California Report discusses the expansion of CSU Project Rebound and interviews Brady Heiner, Founder and Executive Director of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton.
Amplían acceso universitario a exconvictos que buscan una segunda oportunidad
June 21, 2016
En Español: Hoy Los Ángeles announces the launch of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton.
CSUF Joins Statewide Effort to Expand College Access for Those Formerly Incarcerated
June 20, 2016
The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine announces the launch of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton.
CSUF Joins Statewide Effort to Expand College Access for the Formerly Incarcerated
June 16, 2016
The Cal State Fullerton press release announcing the launch of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton and other partner campuses in the CSU.
Does Plea Bargaining Hurt People of Color?
September 13, 2015
Brady Heiner, Founder and Executive Director of Project Rebound at Cal State Fullerton, is interviewed on National Public Radio affiliate WFPL in Louisville, Kentucky, regarding mass incarceration, the prosecutorial practice of plea bargaining, and racial justice.