The Los Angeles Post

ELAC Formerly or Currently Incarcerated Addiction Studies Students Receive Free Laptops

by ·

East Los Angeles, CA- On Tuesday, December 17, 2019, the East Los Angeles College’s (ELAC) Addiction Studies Program conferred the Addiction Prevention Specialist Certificate for the inaugural class of the Formerly or Currently Incarcerated Students (FOCIS) program in a ceremony at ELAC.
During the Ceremony, the 9 ELAC Students who earned their Prevention Specialist Certificate received free laptops, compliments of the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA). The nine students on the stage represent over 75 years of incarceration. “The students invited their friends and families to the celebration to show them the progress they have made in their lives”, stated Lisa Vartanian, Ph.D., Director of the ELAC Addiction Studies Program. “The students were thrilled and very emotional about their laptops! What a fabulous gift! We are very grateful for the generosity shown to our Addiction Studies Students.”
The FOCIS program helps formerly or currently incarcerated individuals reach their educational goal of becoming an Addiction Counselor. Students meet weekly with an academic coach to help identify and work through educational and emotional barriers. Tutoring and motivational/job preparedness workshops are also provided weekly.
The computers are part of CALPIA’s E-Waste Program, in which old or broken computers are collected from government entities and refurbished. Incarcerated men and women who participate in the CALPIA program learn all aspects of e-waste collecting and make the computers like new again. CALPIA’s E-Waste program helps the environment and bridges the digital divide. CALPIA’s goal is to provide job skills and support in the community, so offenders never return to prison. CALPIA’s Career Technical Education programs have some of the lowest recidivism rates in the country.
“CALPIA is proud to partner with East Los Angeles College to help formerly incarcerated individuals meet their educational goals while reintegrating back into society,” said CALPIA’s General Manager Scott Walker. “These refurbished computers are part of CALPIA’s e-waste program which brings not only new life into the computers, but also shines new life into offenders working on them because they know they are giving back while gaining job skills they need to be successful when they return to their communities.”