Local News
By Arashi Young
Of Th e Skanner News
F
rom his time in pris-
on to his life outside
the bars struggling to
fi nd work and housing, to
his life as a student study-
ing psychology and put-
ting all the pieces together,
Brandon Hoggans has lived
many lives. Hoggans recent-
ly completed his bachelor’s
degree from Marylhurst
University, and spoke with
The Skanner News about
his past and his plans to help
those who have experienced
incarceration.
Here are excerpts of the
interview, edited for space
and clarity.
The Skanner News: First
off, Congratulations on
graduating.
Brandon
Hoggans:
Thank you very much.
TSN: What is it like to
transition back to society af-
ter prison?
BH: I would say the
toughest aspect of success-
fully reintegrating back into
society is the barriers that
are in place for people who
are convicted felons.
I experienced barriers in
employment, but primarily
it was in housing where the
reality set in. That made it
very, very diffi cult. Nobody
would want to rent to me
even though I had money. I
met all the criteria, but once
they found out I had a fel-
ony, they automatically dis-
qualifi ed me.
Employment was tough as
well. I would get interviews
for jobs because of my skill
levels. I was overqualifi ed
for most jobs I had applied
for and I would get them.
At the end of the interview,
I had to bring the felony is-
sue up, and then everything
changed -- they said they
wouldn’t be able to hire me.
TSN: How did you work
around these obstacles?
BH: I utilized the resourc-
es that I had with my fam-
ily and more importantly
my self-determination that
somebody in this position
has to have. I can imagine
that the discouragement of
having so many barriers in
place can be the reason why
people choose to get back
into a criminal lifestyle. Be-
cause, in their best efforts,
they aren’t seeing any prog-
ress and they still have to
PHOTO COURTESY OF MARYLHURST UNIVERSITY
Marylhurst Grad Reflects on Background, Future
Brandon Hoggans, a 2015 Marylhurst University
graduate, was inspired by his troubled past – which
includes a stint in prison during the first part of his
adulthood – to pursue a major in psychology and a
career helping others.
provide for themselves and
their families.
But, for me, it was my
family and that self-deter-
mination to be successful.
TSN: What drew you to
getting your bachelors in
psychology?
BH: With these barriers,
I knew that I would need
some kind of credentials be-
hind my name to open my
own doors or to crack some
of the doors that are closed.
I chose psychology be-
cause prison, 75 percent of it
is mental -- dealing with the
culture in that environment
and the misguided concepts
of authority and race rela-
tions. It takes a deep level of
thought and understanding
to survive that environment
without coming out with
debilitating psychological
effects.
I spent from 18 to 26,
my developmental years,
incarcerated. I got some of
my psychological concepts
in that environment. Even
though I grew up in there
I understood that I made a
mistake that got me in there,
I no longer wanted to make
those mistakes.
I studied psychology be-
cause I just naturally had
a knack for perceiving my
environment and perceiving
people and understanding
the thought patterns and
ideas. More importantly, I
had to do that as a matter of
survival.
Over time, it allowed me
to create some ideas for how
I can help people who have
experienced the same things
and are coming out of prison
and need to understand what
kind of psychological issues
they may have acquired
while incarcerated.
TSN: It sounds like you
gave yourself a second
chance at that developmen-
tal time through your edu-
cation.
BH: In my education, I
was my own case study. I
used my education to un-
derstand some of the things
that I did as child and young
adult. I know my experience
is similar to many Afri-
can-American boys growing
up in deprived areas with-
out a father, living in a sin-
gle-parent household. Those
circumstances all have the
potential to create the same
outcomes.
TSN: How would you like
to take these lessons and ap-
ply them?
BH: The biggest plan
would be looking into at-
taining my PhD in Clinical
Psychology; I have also ap-
plied to get my MSW at the
University of Washington. I
would like to be a psycho-
logical evaluator for ex-cons
or convicted felons that are
incarcerated and are trying
to get back into society.
Given my understanding
of the operations of prison
and having been there and
also the academic applica-
tions, I think I have a more
practical understanding of
where a person is at in that
environment. If they were to
be given a second chance, I
know their likelihood of be-
ing successful if they were
allowed to opportunity to
reintegrate into society.
Read the rest of this
story online at
www.theskanner.com
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Page 6 July 8, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner
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