March 17, 2023
Persevere Coding Program Graduation Ceremony at the Metro Reentry Facility
State Board of Pardons and Paroles Member David Herring and Executive Director Chris Barnett attended the Persevere Coding Program graduation ceremony at the Metro Reentry Facility, a Georgia Department of Corrections' facility. Persevere provides an intensive, twelve-month, full-stack web development coding class taught to incarcerated men and women. Twelve offenders in the program completed the course where they learned new coding skills and developed online solutions to help businesses solve problems.
Board Member David Herring spoke at the ceremony. "Persevere is not just a program, it's a second chance. Atlanta has been dubbed as the new Silicon Valley of the South, as it continues to attract top tech talent, investors, companies, and growth in the region. This program equips the participants with in-demand skills and empowers them to turn their lives around by pursuing a meaningful and rewarding career in the tech industry," stated Herring.
Executive Director Barnett congratulated the graduates.
"These graduates can now identify themselves as 'Developers' and as a result have opened new paths to future successes. Congratulations to all the graduates today, may you continue to expand your opportunities and prove real change can happen," stated Barnett.