Financial literacy is a skill that's often overlooked, but it is among the most important skills to establish a stable life, especially after incarceration. At CoreCivic's Boston Avenue reentry facility in San Diego, California, residents are now offered the opportunity to participate in a new financial literacy course called Money SMART: Financial Literacy.

The 16-week course teaches the fundamental principles of financial management. This includes everything from how to set and follow a budget to learning how to prepare for generational investments like land and home ownership.

Two residents at Boston Avenue recently graduated from the Money SMART program. Jose M. and Michael T. come from two different backgrounds, but they have one thing in common: trying to navigate successful reentry.

Jose says he was skeptical of the Money SMART program at first, unsure of what new lessons he could learn. He says the lesson that stood out the most for him was the responsible management and use of credit. He says he always thought of credit as a trap - something that led to debt and stress. But through the course, he learned how credit scores are calculated and how it can be a powerful tool when used wisely.

"I've been up, and I've been down," Jose said at graduation. "But now, I know how to move forward. I know how to make my money—and my credit—work for me."

For Michael, the ability to learn about responsible financial management was a lifeline and a resource to be able to reconnect with and care for his daughter. He learned how to build a budget, fix his credit, save for emergencies and plan for a future that once seemed unreachable. By the end of the 16 weeks, he stood proudly at graduation a transformed man with more tools to help him build a stable life.

Program Facilitator Alexandro Villatoro says guiding the course has been one of the most transformative experiences of his professional life. He says working with Jose and Michael made this journey truly profound. He says their resilience, openness and determination to rebuild their lives added a deeply human dimension to the curriculum and this experience reaffirmed his belief in the power of education as a vehicle for change.