Hudson Link Success Stories

Many of the boys have expressed to me that education is “corny or boring”, but I try to tell them that you can be educated and not lose your “swag” (the way someone presents themselves). When they see my documentaries and find out my story, they want to know what made me change my path and I always tell them Hudson Link.”

Arcide now owns a recording studio and entertainment company where he works as a producer and recording artist. He is employed full time at Global Skyline, a marketing company in NYC. He was married on July 20, 2017 to a supportive loving woman and as he puts it “I left the thug life.”

Arrested in 1986, Gregory did 27 years behind bars and spent most of it obtaining an education.

“I didn’t think I was going to get out,” Gregory says about his decision to start college behind bars.

“When the opportunity came up to go school, it was something to do every night. Learning always came easily to me, and there was no television when I was growing up. Reading was my escape.” An artist and educational consultant by trade, Gregory read over 15,000 books during his time in prison. He was in Hudson Link’s first graduating class of 2001 with Executive Director Sean Pica, and was the only graduate to return to Sing Sing as an instructor a few years after his release.

“It was hard,” he remembers about going back to the place where he spent nearly three decades of his life. “I knew I wanted to help others through education the way I had been helped, but every corner held a nightmare.”

Gregory has been home ten years now and sometimes, he says it feels like “just last week” that he was released. He is working hard to strengthen his relationships with his son and two daughters. He has one grandson who is a graduate of Georgetown University, and three others who are graduating high school and plan to follow in their
grandfather’s footsteps by attending college.

“I’m closest to my son now – I was reunited with him after 24 years by a guard at Sing Sing while I was still inside,” Gregory said. “And my daughter is the most stable person I’ve ever met.”

He credits the education and re-entry support he receives from Hudson Link and its staff for helping him rebuild his life from the inside out. “You can learn a lot of things academically in prison, but family is the hardest thing to readjust to on the outside,” he said. “Sean and Hudson Link have been family to me when I had none. They have taught me how to become part of a family.”

“I have been blessed to come across individuals in my life, that were not afraid to open their hearts and minds; who took the time to know me and overlooked the crime I have committed,” Dexter says. “Through these amazing individuals, I was able to better myself by continuing my education and came to love and appreciate music on different level.”

Dexter became involved in Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections and Musicambia projects, which allowed him to express himself through music. There, he was able to write his first musical composition, I Must Confess (I’m Not Ashamed to Cry), which has been performed at Carnegie Hall, the White House and now at tonight’s 14th Annual Hudson Link Spring Benefit.

“The song was inspired by my wife, who I love dearly,” Dexter says of his wife of 13 years, Yasmeen Hines. “I love you more than the sparkling stars in the sky.”

Germaine’s parents separated; his father was rarely present and his mother’s new boyfriend, who proved to be psychologically and emotionally abusive, moved in. “Everything became so unsettled and dysfunctional so fast, the only reactions I could muster were confusion, anger, and fear. So I took those feelings and tried to use them as a form of power which was the perfect formula for trouble.”

Germaine’s fear and anger led him down the wrong path and landed him in prison. It did not take much time in prison for Germaine to realize that his actions were not only hurting himself, but also hurting the people he loved most, his family. He also realized that he needed to change if he wanted to make his family proud. He started by going back to school for his GED, especially when he say how obtaining his GED positively affected himself and his family. This was his first major academic achievement and it set in motion a series of continued achievements.

While incarcerated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility, Germaine discovered the New York Theological Seminary where he enrolled and obtained a Certificate in Ministry. Through taking art classes, he also developed his skill as an artist. And to help him understand and overcome his feelings of anger, he took a number of therapeutic courses including “Alternative to Violence” and “Domestic Violence.”

In 2004, Germaine’s drive to continue to learn and grow led him to the office door of Hudson Link for Higher Education where he was given the opportunity to enroll in Mercy College and earn a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science. It was his involvement with Hudson Link that helped him to become a better speaker, a better writer, a critical thinker, and a better person. Hudson Link was redesigning their website, and Germaine was the perfect candidate to create the current logo.

“It was through Hudson Link that I not only learned a wealth of knowledge about human behavior, but a wealth of insight into my own behavior and feelings as well. It was a journey of self-discovery.”

In 2010 Germaine was released from prison 6 months early, as a result of his academic achievements and display of growth, understanding, and remorse.

“Hudson Link gave me the ability to express my change as professionally and pragmatically as possible. Hudson Link also helped me express myself artistically.”

Today, Germaine is a graphic and video editor for Love & Fashion Entertainment and a freelance graphic designer for a host of community organizations.