For Charles Long Jr., the path to UC Berkeley’s highest undergraduate honor ran through foster care, prison, homelessness and, finally, a 4.0 GPA.
Long, 43, a Berkeley man who was formerly homeless and incarcerated, graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with highest honors as a sociology and social welfare double major. According to KTVU, he was named University Medalist, the highest honor given to a graduating senior at UC Berkeley.
He finished with a 4.0 GPA and received the University Medal at graduation, an award given to students with a GPA of 3.96 or higher.
Long’s early life in the Bay Area was marked by hardship. His father went to prison when he was a child, and his mother’s time in rehab led to foster care placements for him and his siblings.
At 18, Long was arrested in Milpitas just before he planned to join the Navy. He later accepted a plea deal and served two years in prison, followed by five years on parole.
After his release, he experienced homelessness in San Jose. He lived in encampments and faced repeated parole violations tied to where he stayed and who he was around.
His life began to change after the birth of his daughter, when he decided to rebuild and focus on stability.
Long returned to school at 37 at Moreno Valley College, a community college in Riverside County, before transferring to UC Berkeley. He started at Berkeley at 40 and joined Berkeley Underground Scholars, a campus program for formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students.
While at Berkeley, he also volunteered with Teach in Prison and mentored young people in juvenile detention facilities.
His academic work focused on prison education programs and rehabilitation, including research connected to San Quentin State Prison and the impact of mentoring inside prisons.
At California Memorial Stadium Commencement, Long spoke in front of about 7,000 graduates and described how lived experience can be turned into action and service.
Long plans to take a gap year, travel to Africa, and prepare for Ph.D. studies in restorative justice. He also intends to continue research on incarceration, education, and rehabilitation programs.
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