New York, NY — In a place long synonymous with despair and systemic failure, a moment of triumph unfolded as Tylik Thomas, a young African American inmate at Rikers Island, was named valedictorian of his graduating class at East River Academy, the high school operating within the correctional facility.
Thomas stood at the podium last week, addressing 63 fellow graduates with a powerful message of transformation, resilience, and redemption.
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“In some of the harshest and roughest living conditions known to man, we found light in a place where darkness and negativity reign supreme,” he told ABC 7 New York.
Rikers Island, one of the most notorious jails in the United States, has often been a symbol of institutional neglect and overcrowding. But on this day, caps and gowns replaced uniforms, and diplomas served as symbols of second chances.
The graduation theme — “Resilience” — echoed through the ceremony, capturing the determination of students who overcame incarceration, limited access to educational support, and personal setbacks to achieve academic success.
“Coming to jail isn’t the end — it’s an opportunity to rebuild,” said Principal Tonya Threadgill, who oversees the East River Academy. The school operates in partnership with the New York City Department of Education and the Department of Correction, aiming to provide incarcerated youth with a pathway to finish their high school education.
Glenda Esperance, Superintendent of District 79 — which serves students in non-traditional settings — noted that literacy is a major hurdle for incarcerated youth. Studies indicate that as many as 75% of individuals in U.S. prisons have low literacy levels, a challenge that undermines both rehabilitation and reentry.
At the ceremony, families gathered in rare celebration behind prison walls. Thomas’s uncle, visibly moved, shared that he saw a younger version of himself in his nephew — a reflection of past choices and renewed hope.
Thomas, who is scheduled to be released in November, used his valedictory speech to issue a call to action for others.
“I should have done it way earlier. This is a long time coming — it’s finally come,” he said. “Don’t waste your time, wasting your freedom.”
When he walks across the bridge that brought him to Rikers, Thomas will leave not just with a diploma, but with purpose — a symbol of what’s possible when education is offered, even in the most unlikely of places.
