UCI Podcast: Underground Scholar Shawn Khalifa shares his journey

Who are UCI’s Underground Scholars? In 2018, students established the Underground Scholars Initiative to create pathways into higher education for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated and system-impacted individuals. After three years, USI members advocated for a staff-led program, leading to the formation of the Underground Scholars Program in October 2021. The two groups are separate but aligned in their mission to provide support services for such students. Shawn Khalifa – an undergraduate with a compelling story – is one of 44 participants currently in UCI’s Underground Scholars Program. He began serving a life sentence for first-degree murder at the age of 15. Released 16 years later, Khalifa is now on track to graduate in June with a degree in sociology. His journey highlights the transformative power of education and support in changing lives and trajectories. In this UCI Podcast, Khalifa candidly opens up about his personal history and reveals how his lived experiences ignited a passion for a future career in which he helps develop policies promoting systemic transformation in education. This episode was recorded in the podcast studio at UCI’s ANTrepreneur Center. The music, titled “Road Home,” was provided by VYEN via the audio library in YouTube Studio.