Meet Dr. Marez, 

“I certainly feel that victims on the other side do not get the support they deserve mentally and financially.”

Dr. Marez was teaching high school when she came across an article about an educator in a prison teaching twelve students with one book in a renovated shower. That story inspired her to teach in prison because she discovered that so many people inside are hungry to learn. Her experience in the military as a Satellite Ops. Engineer working around lots of men taught her that you get a lot further if you don’t ask a man how he feels. You ask him what he thinks.

After two years of working in a prison, she was laid off and went to law enforcement as a Field Deputy Officer. Her prison experience made her a better field officer and she realized that it wasn’t about “trail-m, nail-m, and jail-m”, but that through education she could make a large impact on the community. 

Upon returning to teaching in prison, Dr. Marez now feels like she is in a place where she is making a difference. She believes that education should be a choice, as her “experience is not to force people to learn.” She instead wants education to “catch fire” and spread throughout the prison community. 

Regarding Victim Awareness Advocate’s position that opposes free education in prison, Dr. Marez “certainly [feels] that victims on the other side do not get the support they deserve mentally and financially.” She believes that education is necessary, for they can either learn 25 ways to solve a problem or 25 ways to make a shank. To this end, Dr. Marez believes that an educated society is a civilized society and we should all be working together to create a healthier community.