In 1978, my life took an unexpected turn that would eventually land me in prison. I told my practical-minded parents that I wanted to major in theater and creative writing in college. They said, "nothing doing." I responded with defiance, as 18—year-olds often do. I flunked out of a parentally mandated pre-law program and took a clerical job, hoping to make it in the world of the arts in my spare time.

Just four years later, I succumbed to clinical depression which led to my self-medication and eventual addiction to drugs. I ended up stealing money to sustain my habit, resulting in a three-year prison sentence, and lifetime consequences of a felony record. By the time of my incarceration I already had my high school diploma and some college credits, which meant that opportunities for educational advancement were not available to me while I served my sentence. Inspired by women who had fewer educational opportunities growing up than I'd had, I became a tutor. I helped women with reading, writing, and math, all the while dreaming of one day earning my own college degree.

My academic hopes were deferred for three long years because in 1994, Congress passed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act as part of the larger Omnibus Crime Bill. The Act excluded students in prison from Pell grant access, and dramatically reduced in-prison college programs. In New York state alone, the number of in-prison college programs dropped from 70 to just four.

Pell Grants for incarcerated students did not "take away" grants from others, as many of the bill's opponents claimed. In fact, at the program's highest rate of usage, the percentage of Pell Grant funds awarded to incarcerated individuals was 0.0001 percent — in other words, just 6 cents of every 10 Pell dollars went to students in prison.

On February 14, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, introduced legislation to restore educational opportunities for incarcerated students. The Restoring Education and Learning (REAL) Act would restore Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated individuals in order to cut the cycle of recidivism, save taxpayer money, and improve public safety.

Pell Grants were created to ensure that everyone in this country has access to higher education regardless of their socioeconomic status. No one fits into that category more than many of the two million people currently incarcerated in the United States, especially given that the majority of those in prison come from communities with limited access to quality education. Since research shows that 95 percent of individuals in prison will eventually be released, it is important that we invest in preparing them with the critical thinking skills and self-confidence required to succeed in today's world. Education provides that grounding.

The late Sen. Claiborne Pell, founder of Pell Grants said, "The strength of the United States in not the gold at Fort Knox or the weapons of mass destruction that we have, but the sum total of education and the character of our people." If passed, the REAL Act would not only help incarcerated students get post-secondary education, it would also reduce reliance on public assistance, increase employability, and improve the quality of life for families in struggling communities.

It's difficult to describe what access to education means for someone currently incarcerated. For many, it offers the chance to feel human in a place that often provides no space for independent thought. Education leads to better choices, and more importantly, it inspires the self-esteem that makes true accountability, redemption and restoration possible.

Teaching adult basic education to women in prison woke me up. It made me realize that I, and they, are capable of more than we've been told. Upon my release, I joined College & Community Fellowship (CCF), an organization that enables women with criminal convictions to earn their college degrees so that they, their families, and their communities can thrive. CCF helped me achieve my dream of earning a bachelor's degree, and then hired me to continue the work I had grown to love: work that elevates the human potential of women who have been caught in the ever-widening net of the American criminal justice system. I'm now Executive Director of the organization and it has grown tenfold since 2006.

I started my journey with CCF nearly 17 years ago. It is not possible to enumerate all the ways in which education has radically changed the trajectory of my life and the lives of many others for the better. Most people focus on the remarkably low recidivism rate of the women we work with: fewer than 1 percent have returned to prison in 17 years. However, my gaze is directed at the happy, healthy, civically engaged, meaningful, and prosperous lives our alumnae now lead.

The research supports what the REAL Act is striving to achieve. A 2013 RAND Corporation study found that incarcerated individuals who had access to education were 43 percent less likely to return to prison within three years than those who did not. This, in turn, saves tax-payers from carrying the burden of incarceration costs, and stimulates the economic growth of struggling communities affected by our system of mass incarceration. Perhaps, most importantly, it provides the opportunity for an underserved population to claim their "pursuit of happiness" with the most powerful tool there is: education.

Vivian Nixon is executive director of College and Community Fellowship in New York City.