Description: Our goals are to reach previously incarcerated students and system-impacted students on campus and to present Project Rebound to students at large. Our program aims to provide support and resources that help ensure academic success. It is imperative to provide previously incarcerated students with everything they need to graduate from their respective academic programs. In an effort to bring campus awareness, we would like to have a Zoom presentation about “breaking barriers” and how Project Rebound and other programs like Project Rebound have successfully empowered many previously incarcerated students to stay strong in their academic journeys and plans. Our guest speakers will share their stories of how Project Rebound has assisted them in the transition from incarceration to higher education. We believe higher education restores an individual and creates better citizens of the world.
Moderator: Moderator: James M. Binnall, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Law, Criminology, and Criminal Justice & Executive Director, Project Rebound
Panelist: Irene Sotelo, Graduate Student CSULB/President of Rising Scholars CSULB/Project Rebound Scholar
Panelist: Panelist: Robert Ortiz Archila, Graduate Sstudent CSULB/Project Rebound Scholar/U.S. Army Veteran
Panelist: Panelist: Danny Murillo, Graduate Student CSULB/Project Rebound Scholar
Department: Project Rebound Meeting ID: 829 8540 2019
Password: 301291
Zoom Link
Speaker Information
Moderator: James M. Binnall, Ph.D.
Dr. Binnall is an associate professor of law, criminology and criminal Justice at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Binnall is also the faculty advisor for Rising Scholars and the executive director of Project Rebound – organizations that work to ensure the success of formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students on campus.
He is also a practicing attorney and a formerly incarcerated person who spent just over four years in prison for a DUI homicide that claimed the life of his close friend. While incarcerated, Dr. Binnall took his LSAT's and was accepted to law school. Once released, he earned his JD and LL.M. (2007/2008), was admitted to the State Bar of California (2008) and received his Ph.D. in criminology, law and society from the University of California, Irvine (2014).
In his research, Dr. Binnall explores the statutory exclusion of individuals with a felony conviction from the jury process. Dr. Binnall’s most recent book, “Twenty Million Angry Men: The Case for Including Convicted Felons in Our Jury System” (University of California Press), reveals the flaws inherent in the justifications for felon-juror exclusion, as well as the negative impacts of the practice on jury deliberations and on the reintegration of those who have been convicted of a felony.
Panelist Irene Sotelo
Irene is currently pursuing her master's degree in social work at California State University, Long Beach. In 2017, as an undergraduate student, she helped co-found Rising Scholars — an on-campus student organization that supports formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students. When Irene first came to Long Beach State, she had no direction in her life. Using both her lived experience and the knowledge she has gained in academia, Irene has discovered her calling – to empower those who feel marginalized in society to pursue higher education.
Irene’s involvement with Rising Scholars has allowed her to network and build community with other formerly incarcerated students from college campuses throughout California. She has been able to use her platform to attend various conferences and present on topics that highlight the need to bring Project Rebound, a program that supports formerly incarcerated students, to all 23 California State Universities. Through her commitment and passion over the last three years, she has been instrumental in bringing Project Rebound to California State University, Long Beach.
Panelist Robert Ortiz Archila
Robert Ortiz Archila is originally from Bell, California. He is a previously incarcerated student that found his identity on campus through Project Rebound. Robert served in the military as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. His military deployments include Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the recipient of a Purple Heart. After he was wounded in combat, and as a result of his injuries, Robert was honorably discharged. Upon his return from active duty, Robert found it difficult to adjust to civilian life, at which point he began drinking heavily and soon lost his family, apartment and civilian job. As a homeless person, Robert endured the harsh realities of being lost in addiction and soon found himself behind bars for numerous felony offenses. After his last two-year prison sentence, Robert was exhausted and ready for change. He sought out treatment through the VA hospital in Loma Linda, California. After completing his 18 rehabilitation for veterans program, Robert enrolled at San Bernardino Valley College where he earned an aeronautics degree with honorary distinctions (summa cum laude). Robert transferred to California State University, Fullerton where he earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies with a minor in Chicanx studies. Recently, Robert began his master’s degree program in higher education at Long Beach State. His vision is to earn a doctoral degree in education. Through his academic achievements, and with the help from Project Rebound, Robert serves as the addition to Project Rebound Cal State LA staff.
His values include equity, diversity, inclusion, social justice and academic grit. His hobbies are off-roading and flying his newly acquired Cessna airplane. Robert currently lives with his wife in Southern California and is eager to begin his doctoral studies.
Panelist Danny Murillo
Danny Murillo graduated from Cerritos College in 2012 and the University of California, Berkeley in 2015. He is a co-founder of the Underground Scholars Initiative at UC Berkeley. He was a media representative for the California Prison Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition and currently serves as an advisory council member for the Vera Institute of Justice Safe Alternatives to Segregation Initiative.
Danny is currently the program analyst at the Campaign for College Opportunity. He supports the campaign’s efforts to increase awareness for the unique challenges facing incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students in California’s public higher education system. Additionally, he is pursuing a master's degree in the Social and Cultural Analysis of Education program at The Beach.
Danny is the University of California Berkeley John W. Gardner Fellowship for Public Service; Open Society Foundation Soros Justice Advocacy Fellowship; Rockwood Leadership Institute Returning Citizens Fellowship; and Just Leadership USA Leading with Conviction Fellowship. He has appeared in the Decarcerated podcast, GQ Magazine, National Public Radio (NPR), Option B Stories, The Appeal Podcast, The New Yorker Magazine, Univision and 60 Minutes with Oprah Winfrey.
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