Degrees of Opportunity: Mapping Success and Barriers for Justice-Impacted Students

By Eddie Fordham

This summer, through the support of the Florida State University IDEA Grant, I am launching Degrees of Opportunity: Mapping Success and Barriers for Justice-Impacted Students. This research project explores the barriers to higher education faced by students who have had contact with the criminal legal system. It seeks to answer an essential policy question: What factors contribute to or impede the academic success of justice-impacted students?

As an Honors in the Major scholar in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, I’ve developed this project with the goal of contributing to evidence-based improvements in access and opportunity. Across institutions of higher learning nationwide, justice-impacted individuals often face barriers—not always by direct legislation, but through stigma, procedural complexities, and legacy policies that may unintentionally restrict opportunity. My research will examine these dynamics, elevate student voices, and offer constructive recommendations grounded in data and human-center design.

At Florida State University, I am particularly interested in how opportunity-building practices can develop within a university already committed to high academic excellence and public service. Through surveys and interviews, I will engage justice-impacted students at FSU to gain insight into their educational experiences—what has worked, what challenges persist, and what could help foster their success. This study will also examine national policy trends and best practices across institutions to situate FSU’s efforts within a broader context of reform.

The IDEA Grant has given me a platform to approach this work not only as an undergraduate-researcher, but as someone committed to public impact. I envision this project as a starting point for more informed dialogue between students, faculty, administrators, and policymakers—each of whom plays a role in shaping supportive academic pathways. I hope that my findings will support those already doing the hard work of ensuring access to opportunity, while providing fresh insights and data for future innovation.

Long-term, I aspire to contribute to the design of a “Justice Pathways to College” model—a systemwide effort that begins with educational opportunities inside correctional settings and continues into postsecondary campuses. At FSU, I’m also working to support peer-led initiatives and student organizations that create space for all voices, including those of students who may not always feel fully seen in traditional academic environments.

Degrees of Opportunity is more than a title. It is a vision to create educational pathways from prison to college and inspires hope. It’s a long-range dream, and it all started with an IDEA!