Ex-Offender, Newly Announced 2017 AtD DREAM Scholar to Participate in Panel Discussion
(Delaware and Chester Counties, PA • November 21, 2016)—Mac Donald P. Taylor Jr. was selected to be an Achieving the Dream (AtD) 2017 DREAM national scholar, which includes an all-expense-paid trip to San Francisco and the opportunity to brainstorm with other community college students from across the nation about how best to advocate for and advance the mission of the nation’s 1,100 community colleges and their 12 million students.
The AtD DREAM Scholar selection is the latest achievement for the 42-year-old, ex-offender, who speaks humbly and openly about his journey from incarceration for mortgage fraud in 2006 to his redemption through hard work and faith to a position of successful student at Delaware County Community College.
Tomorrow, Mac Donald will lend his first-person perspective to a documentary film screening and panel discussion about the U.S. criminal justice system titled, “Broken On All Sides: Race, Mass Incarceration and New Visions for Criminal Justice in the U.S.” The free event will be held from 9:35 a.m. to 12 noon, Tuesday, Nov. 22 in the Large Auditorium at the College’s Marple Campus, 901 S. Media Line Road, Media, PA 19063.
“Today, I am a non-traditional student seeking an Associate in Applied Science in Paralegal Studies, the Paralegal Club president, a peer mentor, husband, and father of four who is re-entering society after a period of incarceration and determined to not allow my past errors to undermine my success,” Mac Donald said.
AtD’s DREAM Scholars conference, February 21-24, is an experiential learning opportunity designed to enhance students’ key leadership, critical thinking and networking skills. DREAM scholars receive a $250 stipend for meals, hotel accommodations, and a customized learning experience led by educator Dr. Joyce Hardiman, emeritus faculty at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Oregon. The conference and AtD DREAM Scholars program also provide networking opportunities and an educational tour of San Francisco. Delaware County Community College will pay for Mac Donald’s airfare and will provide him with a “core team leader” who will mentor him before, during and after the DREAM 2017 conference.
Mac Donald said he is so excited about the conference that he already envisions himself in San Francisco. A devout Christian, Mac Donald views his life story as a clarion call to other ex-offenders not to give up and to persist toward accomplishing their goals in the face of adversity. This is why he plans to participate as a panelist in the “Broken on All Sides” documentary screening and panel discussion at the College tomorrow.
“I am passionate about working to ensure equality and fairness across all ethnicities, religious and social economic backgrounds, with a focus on reaching prisoners, preparing them to re-enter society and their families,” said Mac Donald, who grew up in Philadelphia and now lives in Upper Darby. “I used my past failures as fuel to drive me forward. As a Christian, I live each day knowing that I can do all things through Christ who provides me strength.”
About Broken on All Sides
Broken on All Sides is a 2012 documentary centered on the theory that mass incarceration has become “the new Jim Crow” in American society, as author Michelle Alexander has postulated in her book, “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness.” Attorney Matthew Pillischer, the documentary’s director/producer, an advocate for prisoners’ rights, and a Temple University law school graduate, explores the U.S. criminal justice system through interviews with people “caught up in or involved with the system” with a keen eye toward examining how America’s drug war and tough-on-crime policies intersect with race, poverty and the U.S. criminal justice and penal systems.
About Delaware County Community College
The College has served the educational needs of Delaware and Chester counties since 1967, when it was founded. More than 27,000 students enroll each year at the College’s six Chester County and three Delaware County locations. The College offers quality, affordable education and training opportunities that help residents earn associate degrees, transfer to four-year colleges or universities, attain professional certification, or enhance their skills through enrichment courses. For more information, visit the College’s website at www.dccc.edu.
