Ben's Story
Benjamin Karol, a graduate of Public Health Sciences on the Pre-Med track at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, first heard about the Petey Greene Program from a local community service initiative. Drawn by a passion to support incarcerated learners, he began tutoring at Hampshire County Jail, working closely with students who were determined to further their education despite the challenges they faced.
Ben quickly grew to love the program, and became an inspiration to many others who now share our mission. Working alongside PGP staff, he launched an awareness campaign at UMass, growing our number of tutors from only himself to 15 weekly volunteers. He also began to enroll in UMass’s justice education courses, and took on new responsibilities as a tutor at the South Hadley Girls Treatment Center and Westfield Youth Service Center.
Through his experience tutoring incarcerated adults and youth, Ben was pushed to rethink his approach to teaching, realizing that “Strategies that work for some students don’t work for all of them. You have to personalize what you’re doing for each learner instead of trying to fit everyone into one mold.” This lesson not only shaped him as a tutor, but also deepened his understanding of ensuring that all students should have access to education that suits their needs: “Education shouldn’t depend on wealth, privilege, or past mistakes. It is a universal right.”
While Ben was learning a lot tutoring inside, he also appreciated the Justice Education Series webinars, which taught him the context and landscape of mass incarceration. “I came into the PGP knowing that the United States’ incarceration rate was bad compared to other countries, but I learned so much more about how systemically rooted and far reaching the implications are.” Ben felt that his experience inside coupled perfectly with what he was learning in these webinars and his justice education courses at UMass: “You might hear that the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, but actually meeting the people inside and hearing their stories makes it feel so much more real and unjust.”
Ben’s experience with the PGP inspired him to explore research and medicine in correctional settings, and he sought to understand the broader implications of access to education and healthcare for justice-impacted individuals. Alongside UMass students and faculty, he conducted research on “The Intersection of Incarceration and Mental Health in U.S. Correctional Facilities: Evaluating Care Gaps and Reform Strategies.” His results and recommendations can be found here.
As Ben looks ahead, he is most excited for the unexpected opportunities that will shape his future the same way PGP has. His journey with the Petey Greene Program has already opened doors he never anticipated, and he knows there is still so much left to discover. “What I’m most excited for are the things I don’t even know exist yet,” he reflects. “The ideas or revelations that will come to me that have never even crossed my mind before.” Through tutoring, listening, and learning from others, he has uncovered new passions and perspectives that continue to evolve. “Because I tried this out and kept tutoring, I’ve both taught and learned from people who I never would have interacted with otherwise, and now it has completely shaped my outlook on life and influenced the type of doctor I hope to become.” As he moves forward, Ben remains open to the unknown, knowing that his willingness to step into unfamiliar spaces will lead him to even greater insights, opportunities, and ways to make a difference.