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Ricky Sanders sits with a small group of men in a workroom at the Center for People every Sunday. He walks these men through one of seven principles: Maturity, Accountability, Nobility, Honesty, Organization, Opportunity, and Discipline.

The acronym spells MANHOOD, the class started by Sanders while he was incarcerated. He plans to take the class outside, to juveniles.

“I decided to start the class I want to implement when I get out with juveniles because a lot of them don’t have fathers anymore,” Sanders said. “That’s a major thing in my community, so I want to be able to exemplify manhood, have those conversations about maturity, accountability, and discipline.”

Sanders plans to graduate in December with his Associate of Applied Science in Electronic Systems Technology. During his incarceration he completed two classes, and he took three more classes on work release at the Center for People.

“Now I can have the confidence that I can get a good job. You know, despite my felony, I can show what I’m doing on the other end, and how I changed,” Sanders said.

Sanders was serving a 15-year sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary when he found out about the UPWARD program. He was active in multiple self-betterment programs throughout his sentence, and when UPWARD Dean Amy Doty hosted an orientation at the prison, Sanders took advantage of the opportunity.

“The UPWARD program introduced me to everything,” Sanders said. “I met some people who aren’t judgmental, who are supportive, so it’s been helpful.”

MANHOOD represents the values Sanders believes every man should have. Everything he talks about in the group comes from his own experience, where he put himself in a situation that brought him to where he is today.

“I could blame the community, I can blame all type of things,” Sanders said. “But at the end of the day, it was because I made poor choices. That’s what led me to that situation.”

In addition to his nonprofit idea, Sanders is also publishing a book for young people that shares transformational stories of men who are incarcerated.

“I don’t see this as only an opportunity to get my degree,” Sanders said. “I want to use it as a turnaround point to show that transformation to other people that come behind me. I want to try to educate at-risk juveniles to stay focused, and that this is what life is about, not the other things.”

Damon Bennett
Activities Information Director
402-437-2077
dbennett@southeast.edu