My Hype Man: Two Felons, One Dream….

I met my husband through his sister. His sister and I were incarcerated together at Perryville, and she gave me his address. We became pen pals while I was still inside. When I got out in 2018 he had waited for me, we started to build a life together. In 2019, I signed up to get my Associate's degree in business, and I graduated with that degree in 2022. We got married in 2020, and bought our first house that same year. We had our first son in 2021, and a baby girl in 2024. Now here we are, it’s 2026, and I've decided to go back to school AGAIN for my bachelor's in social work.

His response?

With a cheeky smile and an eye roll "Okay. We're doing this again."

He knows the drill. Assignment stress, due dates, excessive reading and 1000 word reports. He still supported it.

My husband is a heavy equipment operator in the union. He's also a man who spent twelve years in prison. Like me, he knows what it means to rebuild from the bottom. He knows what it takes to move forward when society has already written you off.

But here's what makes him my everything: he's my hype man.

When I tell him about something new like getting a graphic designer for my logo, launching my business, or starting this degree. His first response is genuine excitement. "Hell yeah, that's exciting. Can't wait to hear more about it." When I told him about the logo, he called me multiple times throughout the day asking if it was ready. He followed up with me before bed asking when I'd have it. He keeps telling me he's excited to see it.

That's not just support. That's belief.

On the surface, he’s a little rough around the edges. On the inside, he’s a gummy bear. For me and our kids, he is soft. He is present. He shows up every single day.

Two people who spent years behind bars. Two people society said couldn't change. And yet here we are; building degrees, building a business, building a home, building a life that proves rehabilitation is real.

It doesn't matter how much time you've spent behind bars. You can move forward. You can be rehabilitated. And if you're lucky, you find someone who believes in you while you do it.