From Prison to Ph.D.

06/27/2023

by Bridjes O’Neil

Formerly incarcerated individuals often get a bad rap, but one SLU alumnus is changing the narrative. Dr. Stanley Andrisse (Grad A&S ’14) wrote From Prison Cells to PhD, which chronicles his experiences with incarceration and higher education.

A man wearing a navy jacket and pants addresses a small audience. Behind him is a screen with a presentation projected on it.

Andrisse speaks about his book at SLU's Busch Student Center in January 2023. Photo by Sarah Conroy

During a discussion hosted by SLU’s Prison Education Program on campus in January, he recalled school suspensions, tepid support in the classroom and his first run-in with the law at 15. That led to multiple felony convictions and serving more than three years in a maximum security prison on drug trafficking charges. After prison, Andrisse applied to six biomedical graduate programs. He was rejected from all but one — SLU. Though not a PEP alum, he is a staunch advocate for the transformative power of higher education.

A prosecuting attorney had criminalized Andrisse as a hopeless repeat offender. Now, he is an assistant professor of endocrinology at Howard University College of Medicine and a visiting professor at Georgetown Medical Center. He researches type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, which claimed the life of his father.

“It’s never too late to do good,” Andrisse said in Creole, recalling the words of his Haitian father.

Andrisse said prior convictions aren’t indicators of one’s potential and ultimate contributions to society. He referenced a 2013 analysis of several studies that found obtaining higher education reduced recidivism — the rate of returning to prison — by 43% and was four to five times less costly than re-incarcerating a person. Yet, he added, less than 4% of people released each year have a college degree.

As executive director and co-founder of the nonprofit From Prison Cells to PhD, Andrisse works to improve access to higher education for incarcerated or formerly incarcerated men and women. The nonprofit is helping to “Ban the Box” on college applications nationwide, expand the Second Chance Pell Grant and remove the convictions question from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Through the Bridges to the Baccalaureate program, the nonprofit aims to change the face of the STEM workforce.

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