Juggling lectures and coursework with friends and extracurricular activities can be difficult for first-year students. Those who return to school after an extended period away often face the additional challenge of balancing academics with work, family or other commitments.

But for Lisa Ruiz and Brian Alsup, who will graduate from Hancock College on May 24, their path to a college diploma was complicated by their personal history: both were formerly incarcerated, spending years in California correctional facilities for crimes they committed while battling drug addiction.

Public colleges in California do not require applicants to disclose their criminal history. But according to Lynn Becerra-Valencia, an assistant professor for professional development at Hancock, formerly incarcerated students who enroll at two- or four-year colleges or universities often find it difficult to stay in school without institutional or community support.

“When they serve their time … some come out less supported and less prepared to reintegrate into society,” she said. Becerra-Valencia added that some carry the stigma of their criminal record while others struggle to meet their most basic needs.