S2 / Episode 2 – Resilience and Transformation

Alan Kata's journey from being incarcerated to becoming a BMCC graduate and member of the Out in Two program is inspiring. He shares how he started corresponding with an organization while in prison and eventually got accepted into CUNY. Alan achieved many accomplishments during his time at BMCC, including high grades and leadership roles in various clubs and societies. He also talks about the Alden II program, which is a motivational program that supports students in achieving their associate's degree within two years. Networking and the ability to network is a valuable skill that Alan learned during his time at college. He plans to pursue a career in law and wants to become the first felon to become a district attorney. He supports the police and prisons and promotes cooperation with the law. Welcome to Open Lab Student Voices, the podcast where we amplify the stories and experiences of our BMCC community. I'm your host, Raquel Neres, and today we have a guest whose journey is very inspirational. His name is Alan Kata, a BMCC graduate, a member of the Out in Two program, and a shining example of resilience and transformation. Let's listen to his story. Thank you so much for being here and collaborating in our Open Lab for Students community and also podcast. The idea today is for you to share about your story as a BMCC student and also as a member of the Out in Two program. So let's get started, please share your story as a BMCC student. Why did you come to BMCC? Long story short, my journey to come to BMCC started about maybe a year or two before I came to BMCC. I was actually in the Sing Sing Correctional Facility and I was like at the very end of a 20-year prison sentence. And I actually started to correspond with an organization stationed in John Jay College known as College Initiative after my release from Sing Sing Correctional Facility on August 10, 2000. And basically a month later, College Initiative pretty much filled out all my paperwork that got me accepted into CUNY. I had to start with remedial classes, which I think they recently removed from BMCC. It was the CUNY STAR program. It was the summer semester I started at BMCC, which was the semester right before they opened up the BMCC for in-person classes. So I started off the first semester as a freshman of the summer of 2021 when the campus opened for in-person classes by the fall semester of 2021. I was one of the first picks for the BASH ambassadors to work with public health and safety. Yeah, so that was the first in-person semester where I did five classes. I had one of the highest GPAs, a 4.0. I actually was requested by OMLA to join. And I actually was the one that revamped and revitalized the clubs for OMLA. I became the first person to retake the president's spot at a club known as the National Society of Black Student Scholars. And I also helped restart the OMLA club, which was the other club for OMLA. The next semester, I also was given my first invitation to Phi Theta Kappa on the society, which I didn't actually join right away. It was the next semester I joined Phi Theta Kappa on the society. I was also instructed into the Alden II program through, her name is Maria Marreras, who became my new academic advisor, who also was the one that went to me to Pisces on the podcast. She was looking for Alden II people to do it. And yeah, I just pretty much did accomplishment after accomplishment. I mean, I definitely had a rough last two semesters, mental breakdown and all that. I probably, at one point, verged a suicide. But I'm a very resilient person and pretty much, I made Alden II look good, Phi Theta Kappa on the society look good. I ended up becoming an MPAC mentor, as well as a delegate for the National Society of Leadership and Success. And now, I looked at my degree works this morning, and I'm an official graduate. Wow, congratulations. Congratulations, you have an amazing journey. And wow, I wasn't expecting to listen to this amazing story. I'm very impressed. And now I understand why Maria said, you need to have a love in your podcast. I just wanted you to, if possible, talk a little bit more about the Alden II program. Like what is the goal of this program? Well, the main Alden, first of all, not everybody can get in the Alden II program. There's different organizations and BMCC that not everybody can get in. That would be Phi Theta Kappa on the society, not everybody can get in there. National Society of Leadership and Success, not everybody can get in there. Achievers, you got to have a 4.0, so definitely, everybody can't get in there. It's a requirement for all Alden II students to get the Associate's within two years max. Like once you're with Alden II, you're required to make sure you fulfill the criteria for getting the Associate's in two years. So it's definitely a motivational program. If you're a person that doesn't want to stagnate or digress, Alden II is going to push you. And with that, they'll open doors. They pretty much give you a $1,600 grant every semester. Not every year, every semester, they fund people with $1,600 grants. And pretty much they open doors. I think everybody in Alden II pretty much passes and graduates. How many members do you have right now at this program? I can't give you a number, but I have to get that from Maria. But we're a small group, because like I said, we have a high GPA standard. I mean, this is not saying that a person has to be a genius to get in it. I mean, I'm a person that did 20 years in prison. What it's saying is, if you're a person that wants to strive for greatness, you're going to end up in Alden II. It just goes hand in hand. I mean, certain things, everyone's like part of. Almost every Alden II member is also part of the Kappa Lambda Society. The president for Phi Theta Kappa Lambda Society was also one of Maria Ramirez's people that she was a advisor for. Thing is, as an undergrad, a lot of times you're not pushed the way other colleges are going to push you. When you get to your Hunters, your Baruch's, your NYU's, your Columbia's, whatever, you're going to get pushed to another level. You're not going to have time to slack and digress. Yes, of course. And as you're part of a group, a selected group, and everyone's focused, everyone has to achieve this high level quality of production, of having success, and maintaining a pattern of a high standard. And these things is like, no one should be insecure thinking they can't do it. Alden's transformation from incarceration to becoming a BMCC graduate and member of the Alden II program is truly inspiring. Alden's message about striving for greatness, overcoming fears, and the power of authenticity is a valuable lesson for us all. It's a reminder that education and resilience can lead to remarkable personal growth. Next, Alden shares how networking was fundamental for him to pursue his dream. I basically had a rough two semesters on a mental level. Unfortunately, the mental breakdown, I stopped attending many meetings on all levels. But when I was going to meetings, it's a roughly like, it's a very family type group, you know, a small group, family group. Everyone smiles and encouragement and praise. Everybody's pretty much uplifting each other. No one's better than no one. Everybody's on equal grounds. That goes for the students as well as the academic advisors. Everybody's pushing each other for greatness. Everyone's giving praise and accommodations to everyone else. And like I said, pretty much that group is also associated with many other groups, Achievers, Phi Theta Kappa Onyx Society, National Society of Leadership Success, Impact, Peer Mentoring. So, yeah, it's definitely like, one thing I learned about college and especially going to groups like Alden II is, the main thing I got from college is the ability to network. What I'm saying is, I learned one thing I did get out that I didn't know how to do before I went to college in BMCC or before I met people like Maria Ramirez. I didn't know like the purpose of networking or how to network. And that's something I definitely learned how to do because one door opens another door and then this door opens another door. Yeah, absolutely. What are your plans for the future? I'm actually already a pre-law student in Hunts already. My major will be political science. My minor will be, I think it was legal studies. Also, I'm going to be a student for a German course. I was already offered the German course because they seen I was looking for law and basically German, the German language and law, for whatever reason altogether. I wouldn't know why because actually most, most of the German courses I took, I wouldn't know why because actually most legal language is Latin, but they say it's good to learn German when you go to law school. So, yeah, I'm actually practicing, going for pre-law school. And so there was an individual that was incarcerated on Rikers Island. He was a felon and he somehow overstepped the bounds and had got a law degree and actually passed the bar even though he was a felon. And that actually went to many courts. And this was years back. The Rapper 50 Cent had made a show about it about less than 10 years ago. The case was older than that. But anyway, as of I think it was like five years ago, 47 states in America felons could actually practice law now. Of course, it's harder for us to pass the bar because we literally got to get more references than the average person would. And my thing is I love to defy the norms. So I already defied the norms. I literally was institutionalized more than half my life. I come from a street culture, gang affiliated, gang leader, and I pretty much overstepped the bounds of expectations of society. I went from a gang leader to a convict to a person before I was even a convict was doing time in juvenile detention to a person that became one of the BMCC's top students, no street ties, no gang affiliation. My way of defying the norms is I actually wanted to become the first felon to become a district attorney. So I plan to be a prosecutor. I don't plan to challenge any officers. I'm actually a Republican, actually. So I actually support police. I support prisons, all that. I'm not the person I was yesterday, so I don't think like the person I am yesterday. I tell kids that if you know something, cooperate with the police. It's the right thing to do. I can honestly say if I didn't go to prison, I probably would have been worse than I was before I went to prison. That's me as a person that was them yesterday. So, yeah, I speak as a person. I don't really sympathize with anyone that breaks the law. So I'm very much a promoter of the law, and I could easily prosecute a person in sleep at night. I wouldn't be able to defend a person that knows that's going to do worse tomorrow. Despite facing tough times and mental challenges, Alan found support in the BMCC community. His journey from a troubled past to becoming a pre-law student with the goal of becoming a district attorney is amazing. His words serve as a reminder that personal growth and change are possible for anyone willing to pursue their dreams and challenge their past. At last, Alan shared recommendations for BMCC students. Most people in existence are scared to be themselves, for whatever reason, because most of the time, we're always thinking about what other people are thinking. Oh, how will they... We're trying to be a part of something. Everyone wants to be a part of something. Everybody wants to be accepted by someone or a group. It starts with early childhood. We do things to please our parents and be accepted by and loved by our parents. And we go to school. We want to be accepted by our peers and our teachers. It's just something that starts... And what I call that is wearing a mask. Most of us wear masks. And once you are one with yourself and one with the universe, the universe is yours for the taking. One thing I learned while I was in prison that runs across my mind more than ever is to follow watches. And it meant watch your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Watch your words. Your words become your actions. Watch your actions. Your actions become your habits. Watch your habits. Your habits become your character. And watch your character becomes your destiny. Your wins and failures all starts with your thoughts. If you think you're going to win, you're going to win. If you think you're going to fail, you're going to fail. It only takes a little doubt and you're failing. I became a great fighter not because I was the biggest guy. I became a great fighter not because I was not scared. I'm actually scared a lot of times of a lot of people and a lot of things. The thing is, is I always challenge my fears. My biggest fear is to be scared of anything. So, therefore, rather than stay scared and run away from something, I run into it. I mean, that's how you get over phobias. If you're scared of heights, what do you got to do? You got to go to a high place and get over your fear of heights. Get over it, yes. As long as you move away from your fears, you're always going to be scared of something. Yeah. So, and really if I could go back, I probably wouldn't have committed a crime at all. But I don't dwell on the past. What's done is done. All I could do is move forward. The point I'm making is that a lot of kids could avoid the consequences I faced or the consequences some other people faced. A lot of people were dead. I mean, so a lot of people didn't believe I was going to live to see 21. Here I am about to turn 44. The point is that I don't – I'm not sitting here speaking as I'm better than anyone. Actually, what I'm saying is a lot of kids could be better than me. Because the thing is, is I had to become 40 years old or older to become a man. A lot of the people that's probably listening to this are still in their teens and 20s. So, rather than take this as me schooling you or belittling you, just take this as the key to become better than me because you're still a kid in many ways. You're not even an adult fully mentally until you're 25. Take that and basically run with it and become the next president of the United States. Whatever you want to be, the world is yours for the taking. Just be yourself and the world is going to come to you. Don't go to the world. Adlon, thank you so much for your contribution on this podcast. Your story is very inspiring. And I hope to see you soon. And I hope that – actually, I'm certain that this episode is going to inspire many BMCC students. So, thank you so much. You're welcome. Thank you all for joining us on this podcast episode featuring Adlon Kata and me, Raquel Neres. In our conversation, Adlon shares an uplifting journey from incarceration to embarking on a pre-law education. He also gave an important message about authenticity, confronting fears, and aspiring to greatness. His story provides insight and motivation for anyone who finds themselves on their journey of transformation. This episode is part of our second season called Making More of Your College Experience, in which we focus on how joining BMCC initiatives such as clubs and programs can help students achieve their goals. Please share your thoughts with us and, if possible, your experiences in our podcast. Your voice is important. I will see you in the next episode of the Open Lab Student Voices podcast.