From inmate to honors, UA student says support of family, mentors helped his journey

If one asked Enrique Alan Olivares-Pelayo how he reached this point in life, he would immediately point to the stable of support available to him along the way.

It was that support that got the soon-to-be University of Arizona graduate through a difficult period in his life, including a time of incarceration.

The support group is filled with incredible people, he said, like his immediate family, peers, and mentors at the UA and Pima Community College.

It’s what has allowed the writer and activist to earn the Provost Award given to an “outstanding graduating student” who showed perseverance, above-average scholastics, and contributed to the UA community.

“The first thing people should know is that I could never have done it alone. I come from a very loving family who has supported me through really rocky, hard situations in my life,” Olivares-Pelayo said. “I relied on the kindness of strangers and the foresight that my mentors at the university have had to spot potential in me, to encourage my growth and nurture the things in me that I now have come to hold most dear.”

It was those rocky situations years ago, overcoming substance abuse and four years in the Arizona prison system, that would ultimately lead him to graduate summa cum laude with dual bachelor’s of arts degrees in English and creative writing.

In-person UA commencements are being held through May 18.

From inmate to student

While in prison, he continued working on his writing, a subject he had excelled at since he was young.

It was a coping mechanism and an outlet to reach the world whether it be family members or pen pals, he said.

“I believe in the power of words to impact lives and change lives. When I was in a prison cell, I didn’t have phone calls; I didn’t have digital media. All I had was books,” said Olivares-Pelayo. “I believe in the power of the printed word to affect what I understand is the soul, and I think that it’s a powerful, magical mode of communication.”

After being released, he started his college career at Pima on advice from his mother. It’s where he met some of those supporters who helped push him forward in school.

Olivares-Pelayo is now ready for the UA’s accelerated master’s of arts in English program.

“I’m extremely grateful for the people who didn’t let me use my substance abuse, history of addiction or my status as a convicted felon as an excuse or as a crutch for why I shouldn’t achieve the highest potential,” he said.

Olivares-Pelayo’s passion is to advocate for those who may be facing similar experiences.

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He serves as lead organizer for the ReFraming Justice project for the American Friends Service Committee-Arizona, whose mission is to shift the criminal justice system to “one that addresses root causes, adopts best practices for building safe and healthy communities, and emphasizes inclusivity and healing,” the organization said.

It’s for those who may not have anyone behind them to support them when dealing with substance abuse as well as mental health issues and their rehabilitation back into the world.

“My aspirations are to help people who have overcome or who are trying to overcome the things that I’ve overcome because I know I didn’t do it alone. I know that if I’m in through the door, that it’s my job to keep the door open for the next person,” Olivares-Pelayo said.

The example left for others, Olivares-Pelayo said, is that success has come from self-acceptance and a “radical level” of tolerance for past mistakes and the “amends that I’m trying to make now in the present.”

“I have embraced my history and my circumstances, and I use what was the most painful experience of my life as my super power. If I can survive that, I can survive anything. A college education compared to the hardships I’ve endured and survived, I mean, it’s water off the deck, it’s a piece of cake,” he said.

“It’s not to say that it doesn’t take mental effort to show up to class and to be diligent in my studies, but I’ve already survived the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do, and everything I get to do now is a blessing.”

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Honored students

The six other UA graduates being recognized with achievement awards are:

Robie Gold Medal Awards

Precious Craig, a first-generation Nigerian immigrant, is graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s of science in public health.

Brennen Feder, a third-generation graduate of UA, is graduating with a bachelor’s of science in literacy, learning and leadership from the College of Education and a bachelor’s of science in business administration in management and entrepreneurship from the Eller College of Management.

Robert Logan Nugent Awards

Alyssa Jean Peterson is graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor’s of science in molecular and cellular biology and in biochemistry and religious studies.

Akshay Nathan is graduating magna cum laude from the Honors College with a bachelor’s of science in biochemistry.

Merrill P. Freeman Medals

Nikita Ganesh, a first-generation Indian American student, is graduating with degrees in psychological science and Chinese.

Daniel Robert Wieland is graduating summa cum laude from the Honors College with a bachelor’s of science in biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology.

More information on the honored graduates can be found at tucne.ws/1hkw