Kareemah had two Day Ones: the first one took place when she entered the juvenile system at 15 and the second occurred when she entered the Georgia penal system at 18. Facing two life sentences, she was told she would never be released so she made the best of her situation by serving her peers as a tutor. Paroled after 26 years, Kareemah now owns her own salon using the skills she gained from the cosmetology education she completed while incarcerated.

“Every goal I wrote down while incarcerated has come to fruition.”