SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Thursday, June 26, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) commemorated the 10th anniversary of its Rising Scholars Program with a graduation awards dinner honoring more than 60 student graduates. The evening marked an impressive milestone for the initiative that began as a pilot in 2015 and has since become a national model for second-chance education and reentry success.
Established in 2015 under the guidance of Program Director Shane Reynolds and sparked from an idea scribbled on paper, the Rising Scholars Program was created to serve aspiring scholars incarcerated in California’s correctional facilities, to provide access to education while nurturing their confidence. The program has since expanded to serve both adults and juveniles, currently and formerly incarcerated, across Northern California.
Reynolds emphasizes the students’ educational journey: “Leading our campus community in building this program has been the most meaningful and rewarding experience of my professional career. Walking alongside our students, seeing them thrive and reclaim their futures through education, fills me with a deep sense of purpose and gratitude. Their courage inspires me daily, and I’m honored to be part of a community that believes in kindness, compassion, and the power of education.”
What started with zero graduates in its inaugural year has grown into a cornerstone of LTCC’s commitment to educational equity and second-chance opportunities. To date, the Rising Scholars Program has served 4,549 students and boasts a decade-long success rate of 79 percent. The current 2024–25 cohort is achieving an exceptional 83 percent success rate. On average, students complete their associate degree in just 2.9 years, significantly ahead of the statewide average of nine years for students in similar programs, as noted in the 2022–23 Legislative Analyst’s Office report.
“This program represents the very best of what community colleges can achieve when we lead with compassion, structure, and accountability,” said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco. “We believe in expansive support for all students, and the Rising Scholars Program demonstrates that belief in action.”
Spotlight on Transformation
Among the program’s notable success stories and the night’s keynote speaker was Aylaliya “Liyah” Birru, a proud graduate of the Rising Scholars Program, where she earned a 3.93 GPA. She went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from Sacramento State, receiving the Dean’s Award for the College of Social Science and Interdisciplinary Studies and was named the President’s Medalist for her graduating class.
Liyah now serves as Administrative Manager for Survived and Punished, a national advocacy organization. She also facilitates higher education workshops at Central California Women’s Facility and Valley State Prison through UC Davis’s Unground Scholars and CSU’s Project Rebound.
Another graduate who now works for CalFire, Ryan Rude, spoke to the shared community of the Rising Scholars program, “We are better together. It’s the truth, and it’s a commitment. This is what the Rising Scholars program taught me. Community lifts; progress is shared. None of us rises alone. A high tide raises all ships. You guys are that high tide. Thank you.”
Education Behind the Walls
Thirteen currently incarcerated students were also honored in person during the dinner, proudly receiving their Foundation Skills Certificate in Forestry and their California Naturalist Certificate.
These credentials, earned through LTCC’s environmental science pathway, prepare students for future roles in conservation, wildfire mitigation, and sustainability.
Their presence and achievements served as a moving reminder that education can thrive even in the most challenging environment, and that where opportunity meets determination, growth and dignity are always possible.
Looking to the Future
LTCC’s Rising Scholars Program remains a defining pillar of the college’s mission to promote access, equity, and academic excellence. With a decade of transformative impact already realized and ambitious expansions ahead, including 2025’s launch of stackable forestry certificates and new housing support for reentry students, the future of the program is as inspiring as its past.
For more information on the Rising Scholars Program at LTCC, please visit ltcc.edu/rsp.
