perez left ciften with college credits and worked to his bachelor degree, paid for by the link, a privaterogramme working with colleges to offer courses in five prisons. a bachelor's degree was received. he is hudson link's director. >> we had 396 students graduate with a.a. and ba degrees. going into the fifthier, we have a low recidivism rate. >> reporter: it can make the difference between turning to crime and building a future. >> for me, being in prison for two decades, the idea that i'm on the governor's task force for re-entry, senior fellow, the executive director here, in charge of five programs. that would not have happened if i did not go behind the credentials. >> without state or federal funding, the programme's reach has been limited. >> raising money is a challenge every day. having students in the programme ask me is there going to be a semester, it would be nice to plan out a year in advance, think about what we can offer, how many more students we can serve. >> i'm proud of the man i am. i'm successful in different respects. >> perez will celebrate two years of freedom a