September 7, 2026
CPEP’s fall semester is underway, and students in all three prisons are back in the classroom. Some are working toward their associate’s degrees, while those who have already earned their degrees are taking upper-level Cornell classes that they hope to transfer to a bachelor’s program in the future.
In addition to classes, we are offering extracurricular activities at all three prisons this semester, including our Writer’s Workshop, debate team, and book club. We are also offering study halls that provide students with access to our computer labs and tutors to help support their academic success.
One of the most important pillars of our program is the involvement of Cornell undergraduate and law students. Each semester, many students apply to become CPEP in-prison volunteers. For some, the opportunity to volunteer with CPEP is one of the reasons they chose to attend Cornell. The experience is unique both for our volunteers and for CPEP students, whose opportunities to interact with people from outside the prison are limited. We hear time and again from former volunteers about the impact this experience has had on their careers and their lives.
This fall, we are welcoming five new undergraduate volunteers—Megan Fairbank, Andy Chen, Sammie Pinchuk, Alex Perez, and Nicole Chen—who will support our students as TAs and tutors. We are also welcoming two new law student volunteers—Marie Berry and Catherine Reed—who will work with our debate team. And we are delighted to welcome Anne Zidek and Fia Swanson, two Cornell graduate students who will facilitate the Writer’s Workshop at Five Points Correctional Facility this fall.
CPEP would not run without the time, effort, and talent of our volunteers. Year in and year out, we benefit from the knowledge and experience of dozens of people who believe deeply in the importance of providing access to a college education in prison.
This fall, we are also welcoming two new instructors—Cassie Macapagal Sevilla and William Schulze—who join the many instructors and long-time volunteers who have given so much of their time and talent to CPEP. Among them are Mary Katzenstein, Jan Zeserson, Ann Martin, David DeVries, Ken McClane, and Toni Murdough, whose continued commitment to our students and our program is invaluable.