When I first stepped foot into our family bakery at the age of 7, I immediately became accustomed to a culture filled with a diverse range of people. My aunt started the bakery more than 20 years ago and made the decision to hire reentrants (individuals who have been previously incarcerated). Even at a young age, I worked alongside reentrants, thinning dough, rolling lady locks, and baking cookies. Today, I run our family business from the hiring to the baking. Our reentrants have become more than just employees; they’ve become our family. 

When I started OutsideConnection, our family business was one of the only businesses in Pittsburgh that would hire reentrants. It was hard for them to find jobs, and they were continually turned away from positions because of their criminal records. Although this improved our own hiring process, it was a disappointment for reentrants who had different skill sets: construction, IT, communications, and more.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, nationwide employment dropped. We found ourselves struggling to find new employees as the business grew. At the same time, though, businesses became more open to hiring reentrants.

Taking advantage of this, I started OutsideConnection, a free second-chance job platform that has helped our business and local businesses alike employ reentrants while also supporting our local communities.

Mass incarceration is one of the largest problems in America today. In fact, the U.S. incarceration rates are 5 times higher than most countries. Although this problem is entirely relevant on the macro level, it’s also something important to me personally. 

Many of our employees in the bakery grew up without support, whether that be financially or in the home. Many were born into generational poverty, and some grew up as orphans. Incarceration isn’t caused by bad people. Rather, it's a result of a bad system. 

I really fell in love with the issue in 3 ways: first, from my interaction with our employees in the family bakery. There was nothing like the experience I had growing up: being able to talk to someone who’s been in prison face to face, to befriend them and help them.  

As I got more involved, I started a research paper associated with the Oxford University Global Priorities Institute, where I explored this issue even further. (Awaiting publication). I really loved the experience. 

Lastly, I realized that growing up in a broken home with an abusive father and a single mother put me at risk for incarceration as well. Abuse, in fact, is the number 1 cause of incarceration nationwide. I learned about an issue that was incredibly important to me, and I was astounded when I learned incarceration usually stems from what research defines as "adverse childhood experiences."

From researching mass incarceration, I learned that employment is the best way to reduce incarceration. In fact, 60% of reentrants struggle to find employment, equating to 390,000 reentrants annually. By having a stable job and income, reentrants are more likely to live successfully. Employment also vastly decreases recidivism odds from 52% to 16%. Staggering. 

Using this information, coupled with bakery anecdotes, I started a website with a high-quality database. I scanned the web and automatically sorted jobs using AI and web scraping. Using the Second Chance Business Coalition, we list companies like Amazon and Chipotle.

Using this web automation tool, I put together long spreadsheets of job data, which I uploaded to the backend. The website then displays that formatted data as job listings. Basically, my approach was to recreate LinkedIn, but instead with fair-chance hiring. It certainly wasn’t easy, but the site can currently hold 2,000 listings, and we are working on scaling to 10,000. 

Our team of 4 works to initiate hiring programs across the country. We’ve done that for 40+ organizations so far. Together, we also work on establishing partners, which we define as organizations that use our platform (10+ currently). Kenzie works on outreach and initiatives as VP, I oversee workshops and hiring, and Terrence and Shannu handle prison integration.

We’ve set up OutsideConnection for success by putting together a network across the country. From calling, emailing, and diligently researching hiring practices, we’ve grown to over 17 states and 31 cities. We’ve made an effort to specifically target cities that are affected by incarceration, like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. 

We are a part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s curriculum for reentry called the National Reentry Resource Center, allowing us to educate and help reentrants everywhere in the country. 

We’ve also received grant funding from the REFORM Alliance, founded by Meek Mill, JayZ, Pricilla Chan-Zuckerburg, and Robert Kraft, which currently supports ALL of our operations. 

Every week, I take time to meet with 2-3 nationwide reentry organizations to initiate hiring processes for their training programs.

I love seeing the smiles and excitement on people’s faces when they see the resource for the first time. Their faces light up with the idea of new possibilities and breakthroughs in the reentry process. 

We also started one of the first petitions for SB 838, which was later adopted by the REFORM Alliance. SB 838 was passed in June, providing due process for parole violation and reentry education opportunities. 

We only keep adding to our current operations. We’ve set up a firm foundation in reentry, and I can’t wait to see where we go next!

OutsideConnection is more than just a job site. We are a network of people dedicated to helping reentrants. We are currently funded by the REFORM Alliance, founded by Jay Z, Meek Mill, Pricilla Chan-Zuckerburg, and Robert Kraft, and have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Justice. We are used by the Center for Employment Opportunities, which alone helps 8,000 reentrants find employment annually. 

With ACAR (Allegheny County Reentry Coalition), we hosted a reentry job fair that attracted 140+ reentrants from across Pennsylvania. I was able to teach reentrants how to navigate the site. I currently serve as a leader of the ACAR Employment Committee, helping to plan future job fairs. 

We have also helped more than 100 reentry organizations across the country develop their own job-placement plans. We’ve provided job access to more than 10,000 reentrants through our partnerships with the largest employers in the world, like Amazon, McDonald's, Chipotle, and more. 

I’ve also had the chance to work with RECA, a reentry program throughout PA, founded by some colleagues I met at a conference. Kevin, Jason, and Michael are all reentrants who now work as teachers at RECA, and their stories are inspirational. RECA is a training program for reentrants to become educated and learn trade skills, and they use our program to help reentrants across PA. I’ve always loved their story.