College Unbound

"Teaching with College Unbound inside the Adult Correctional Institutions has expanded my perspective. My students have jobs within the institution. They complete assignments, participate in thoughtful discussions and are pursuing bachelor’s degrees. When I enter the classroom, I see students – not simply sentences, convictions or identification numbers...

Sometimes the difference between giving up and moving forward is one person, one classroom or one community willing to see possibility."

We loved this piece by CU faculty member Carlene Fonseca! It's such an honor to partner with empathetic and skillful faculty year after year, as we see their work and their care reverberate throughout our community. 🌱

Read more about Carlene's experience working with justice-impacted students here: https://www.valleybreeze.com/opinion/columnists/what-teaching-inside-prison-taught-me-about-second-chances/article_db46a40b-3341-4949-ae7d-cedb7e31a409.html

What teaching inside prison taught me about second chances During my orientation to teach inside Rhode Island’s prison system, a correctional officer said something that still sits with me: “We have all done something that could land us in

Hello, friends! CU's 2026 Convocation Ceremony is only a few weeks away on Sunday, August 16th! We'll be celebrating the arrival of new CU students and welcoming back all returning students, faculty, and staff. 💚

This virtual event will run from 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST (4:00pm - 5:30pm PST), and everyone in our CU Community has the opportunity to attend and take part in the celebration.

We're thrilled to be joined by CEO, author, and friend Nicole Lynn Lewis of Generation Hope. Drawing on her new book and the work of Generation Hope, Nicole will discuss what it takes to create systems that help parenting students thrive. 💫

Full event details have been shared via email, but please contact us if you believe you're missing an invite!

Is it mid-July already?! Yes! And we're gearing up for a new academic year full of momentum and possibility. 🌱

Save the date for College Unbound's 2026 Convocation Ceremony on Sunday, August 16th! We'll be celebrating the arrival of new CU students and welcoming back all returning students, faculty, and staff.

This virtual event will run from 7:00pm - 8:30pm EST (4:00pm - 5:30pm PST), and everyone in our CU Community has the opportunity to attend and take part in the celebration. (Full details will be shared with our community via email!)

We're also so excited to announce that we'll be joined by CEO, author, and friend Nicole Lynn Lewis of Generation Hope. Stay tuned for more details on our conversation with Nicole and our full event program next week. 💫

College Unbound is growing in powerful ways, and we're thrilled to introduce a new member of our Leadership Team to the CU Community! 🎉

As our new Vice President of Partnerships & Enrollment, Dr. Byron P. White will be a critical force in strengthening College Unbound's strategy to expand access and opportunity for adult learners across the country ensuring outreach, recruitment, and regional partnerships align with CU's mission and strategic growth goals.

Byron's leadership comes at an important moment for College Unbound: Over the next five years, we'll continue building a national network that maintains deep local connections while reaching nearly 3,000 students. We're eager to see and feel Byron's impact in our communities as we continue building a higher education model rooted in trust, partnership, and possibility.

Byron officially stepped into his role in mid-June, and we're honored to welcome him! 💚

Hello, friends! We recognize the very full summer schedules being juggled throughout our CU Community, and we’ve decided to postpone our Remix Vol. 5 to a later date. We will not be holding a virtual watch party or in-person gathering at AS220 in Providence on July 9th as planned.

Our wish is to bring together as many artists and participants as possible across all CU sites and regions, and we believe this will be more possible in a future semester.

Thank you to everyone who expressed interest in this magical, annual event! 💫🎞️

We’ll be excited to share details once a new date has been decided. In the meantime, if you would like to assist the Remix Team in dreaming up the details of our rescheduled event, please reach out to Amanda Esons ([email protected]).

Stay tuned for more soon! 💚

In honor of Juneteenth, College Unbound will be closed tomorrow, June 19th as we celebrate freedom, resilience, and the power of community.

As an institution grounded in the belief that learning and leadership emerge from lived experience, we recognize this day as an opportunity to reflect on our shared responsibility to advance equity and justice.

We're only a few weeks away from CU's Unbound Remix Vol. 5 on Thursday, July 9th, and we're ready to receive your work through our submission form: https://forms.gle/ygZe8552ckXCNauS8! 🪩

This year's Remix event will showcase a video montage of recorded performances, readings, digital stories, and more submitted by our CU community (students, alumni, faculty, staff) across all sites nationwide.

For friends in Rhode Island, we'll be hosting an in-person watch party at AS220 in Providence. We're encouraging the rest of our community to gather together in their own special ways: think coffee shops, backyards, and community spaces!

Take a moment to review the guidelines as you work on your 2-5 minute submission! The deadline to submit is Friday, June 26th at midnight.

Keep brainstorming, keep creating, and be on the lookout for reminders and updates over the next few weeks! 📽️

It's graduation season at College Unbound, and we're proudly celebrating our Class of 2026 graduates across all CU sites! With over 170 students earning their degree this year, 2026 marks the largest graduating class in CU history. 🌱

We kicked off our commencement ceremonies in early May with a powerful celebration in Chicago, felt the energy of a full auditorium in Rhode Island as we honored 100+ graduates, and witnessed a beautiful gathering of families and loved ones in Philadelphia.

This weekend, we celebrate the graduates in our South Carolina region before we head to Washington the following week! Our students inspire us every day, and it's such a privilege to have a commencement season that spans coast to coast.

We can't wait to share more photos, videos, and joy later this summer. In the meantime, leave a shoutout in the comments for all of our incredible graduates.

A deep HEARTFELT congratulations to our Class of 2026! 💚 🎉

We're counting the days until CU's Unbound Remix Vol. 5 on Thursday, July 9th, and we're ready to receive your submissions! 🪩

This year's Remix event will showcase a video montage of recorded performances, readings, digital stories, and more submitted by our CU community (students, alumni, faculty, staff) across all sites nationwide.

For friends in Rhode Island, we'll be hosting an in-person watch party at AS220 in Providence. We're encouraging the rest of our community to gather together in their own special ways: think coffee shops, backyards, and community spaces!

Take a moment to review the guidelines as you work on your 2-5 minute submission! The deadline to submit is Friday, June 26th at midnight.

Keep brainstorming, keep creating, and be on the lookout for reminders and updates over the next few weeks! 📽️

Check us out! 📺 In April, College Unbound Lab Faculty Shawndell Burney-Speaks was joined by CU students Sheila and Kevin on The Jim Vincent Show!

Shawndell, Sheila, and Kevin discuss the importance of higher education that is accessible and affordable, a degree plan that meets students where they are, and the impact a student's Core Project can have on their community.

Learn more about their collective experience at CU and watch the full episode of The Jim Vincent Show online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGrsuGes8Kc Thank you for sharing your stories!

The Jim Vincent Show - College Unbound Recorded on April 22nd, 2026 Guests: Shawndell Burney-Speaks - Lab Faculty Sheila Livingstone - Student Kevin Barrett - Student - College Unbound 'The Jim V...