Student Spotlight: Rebounding with a purpose

As a student in the San Diego State University Department of Child and Family Development, JohnMichael Price stands out — and not only because of his 6-foot-4 stature. 

“It’s weird being the only male and the only Gen X-er in my classes — it’s really a trip,” says Price of his experience in the Early Childhood Transdisciplinary Education and Mental Health (EC-TEaMH) advanced certificate program. 

“But I think my passion for what I want to do comes across, which is why my classmates and my teachers have all been very supportive of me."

Price, who earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from SDSU last May, came to the university through Project Rebound, a California State University program that supports formerly incarcerated individuals in pursuing higher education. Along the way, he hasn’t shied away from sharing his complicated back story — one that includes 18.5 years spent on the inside.

In fact, Price’s lived experience very much connects to his dream of making a positive difference for young people. As he continues his educational path, which includes entering a master’s program this fall, he aspires to one day open a re-entry home for young people coming out of juvenile detention.

"I’m hoping this can take me to where I can work with at-promise children — they used to be called at-risk — to help them find a way to cope with their own trauma and adverse childhood experiences, mental health issues and neurodivergence,” Price said. “I want to help divert them from the school-to-prison pipeline.”

Life on the inside

Price’s own experience in the system began in 2003 following a violent incident when he was 25. Pleading no contest to charges, including attempted murder, he was sentenced to 24 years in state prison.

"I wasn’t in my right mind,” he recounts. “I ended up hurting a lot of friends that didn’t deserve that."

Gripped by regret, shame and guilt, Price began the process of seeking help, taking part in Bible study through correspondence courses. Six years into his prison sentence, he gained access to clinical counseling, which he said has helped him understand and address mental health challenges that had previously gone undiagnosed.

Meanwhile, Price continued along his spiritual journey, studying every major religion and immersing himself in philosophy. He also rekindled a passion for education, earning five associate’s degrees while incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. 

"Prison is full of sadness, full of despair, full of negative energy,” he said. “But I was able to hold on to that hope of getting out to be with family and friends. I wanted them to be proud of me. I wanted to be proud of myself. All of those things kind of drove me forward."

Price was paroled in 2021, but that did not end his ordeal. He was released homeless on the streets of East Oakland with all his possessions in a shopping cart and $135 in his pocket. Finally, after five days of living in fear and with his mental health slipping, his parole officer found him transitional housing.

"Even out here there's a lot of social barriers that keep us down,” he said, referring to the previously incarcerated. "I'm still struggling with things. I can't get an apartment on my own because of my criminal background."

A new beginning

After his release, Price earned a sixth associateʼs degree — this one in psychology — through the restorative justice program at Southwestern College. He transferred to SDSU in the summer of 2022 and, through Project Rebound and the Economic Crisis Response Team, secured stable housing on campus. 

Price also thrived in the classroom to the point of being asked to guest-lecture, sharing his lived experience with the goal of humanizing the currently and formerly incarcerated — a population he cares about deeply. 

For the past two years, Price has returned to Richard J. Donovan to work with inmates, promoting higher education through Project Rebound and facilitating workshops encouraging personal growth and change with the Alternatives to Violence Project. He is currently a point of contact for those paroling to San Diego County from the facility, easing their reintegration into society.

He also works with incarcerated juveniles through the Prison Education Project and with marginalized high school students through a joint effort with Project Rebound and the San Diego nonprofit Youth Empowerment.

Now in the EC-TEaMH program, which prepares early childhood educators to support young children with socio-emotional and behavioral challenges, his eye is on preventing young people from entering the system. The curriculum has taught him to help children — including those who are neurodivergent like him — change behavior and self-regulate. 

"I know that the younger you help somebody, the bigger the impact is going to be to change their trajectory in life,” Price said. “I want to work with children and help keep them from becoming what I was. I do have a passion for it."

In February, he opened an email while sitting in SDSU’s Project Rebound lounge that elicited tears of joy and disbelief. He had become the first formerly incarcerated individual accepted into the Early Childhood and Family Clinical Counseling master’s program. 

"Prison has a way of making you feel like you’re worthless,” Price said. “Like you dare not dream anymore because you’ve done such bad things. Like your life is over. It's not so.”