Eliza Hemmings, a sociology and French double major, was quoted in a Tennessean column written by Jeff Cornwall titled Entrepreneurs can help ex-prisoners move back into society. The article features the Transformation Reconciliation from the Inside Out program, which uses education as a tool to help build a path for successful reintegration of former offenders from prison back into the community. TRIO brings together college students and inmate students in classes that are offered at the Charles Bass Correctional Complex Annex in Nashville. The collaboration of students and inmates seeks to foster understanding and reconciliation through community support.
Of the program Hemmings said, “what we can do as a larger community is support their [ex-inmates] will to change, their will to contribute to society in a positive way and rebuild their lives. We as community members have a choice as well, and I choose to support my inside friends on their journey toward success.”