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May 14, 2026

Rachael Ryan is a newly minted bachelor's graduate with a degree in organizational management. Presently serving as the interim executive director at Family Promise of Gainesville, a community-based collaboration of civic and religious groups that provide resources for the area's homeless, she was looking to upskill in a way that would significantly undergird the work she has been doing long before her current role — a type of work with which she is personally familiar. 

Ryan was a justice-impacted individual who moved to Gainesville with her family, then fought to navigate her way through the limited resources available for support — many of which came with additional barriers, due to her past. 

Undeterred, she made her way Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ in Spring 2021 and completed her associate degree in social work. Ryan set her sights on her next educational objective, a bachelor's degree with scholarship assistance through Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­'s Freedom to Learn program, created in 2023 to create access and educational opportunity for those with unique needs as a result of incarceration. 

Not content to be just a recipient of the Freedom to Learn scholarship, Ryan was an ambassador for others in the program who have walked a similar path, offering her unique perspective, helping them feel seen, and modelling the perseverance that has inspired current and prospective Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»­ students.