I grew up in South Boston, the real Southie, where loyalty meant everything. I chose survival, and that led me exactly where you’d expect: behind bars. Serious time. 15 yrs of it. 10 of those yrs were spent in solitary - 23 hours a day in a cell barely bigger than a closet, disappearing piece by piece. Then something happened I still can’t fully explain. 15 yrs after I first went in, I found God. That led me toward higher education in ways I’m still trying to understand. I enrolled in a dual-degree program right out of the gate, earned both degrees with high honors, then went straight into a doctoral program. I discovered that the psychological trauma I’d endured in solitary, that wasn’t just my past. It was my calling. Eventually, I got the urge to apply to that Ivy League place in town. An Irish kid from the Southie projects, with a criminal record, walking into their Yard. This is the story of how I ended up with 2 PhDs in psychology and what I learned along the way.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​