Georgia college students with criminal records campaign to move 'Beyond the Box' [View all]

Applying for college is a stressful time for any student, but Abigail Cook faced more difficulties than most.

When she was 17, Cook said she made a decision that still haunts her. She got behind the wheel with a blood alcohol content of .04. That is half the legal limit for an adult, but Georgia has a zero-tolerance policy for drivers under 21. A friend exited the vehicle while it was still moving and hit the pavement, later dying from her injuries. Cook served three months in jail following the incident.

Cook, who had previously been taking college-level courses under dual enrollment, now had a criminal record, and she felt like her future opportunities were closing off. The school she had been planning to attend canceled her acceptance, and she found herself dictating her application essay to her mother over the jail phone, including a statement about what she had done.

“Through the personal statement, like in all applications to jobs and universities, you have to present yourself in the best possible light, but I felt like to do that, I kind of had to bypass what had happened to my friend, and I kind of felt like I was spitting all over her because I really need to make myself look good, but I don’t know how to do that and to be respectful to her at the same time,” she said.

Now majoring in art and film with a minor in criminology at Georgia State University, Cook is a leader with Beyond the Box Georgia, a group working to make it easier for people who have been incarcerated to get an education by eliminating the question on college applications about criminal history.

Read more: https://georgiarecorder.com/2022/01/28/georgia-college-students-with-criminal-records-campaign-to-move-beyond-the-box/