Change From the Inside Out

Nick Nichols is one of 15 men that make up the first graduating class of the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) program. “The entire program was transformative for myself and the other men in the group,” Nichols shares. “I found a vocation; a life’s purpose.”

When Nichols first began the five-year program, he wanted to accomplish something - anything - so that the years of his life amounted to something. “I wanted to be more than the worst thing I had ever done,” he shares.

Thanks to the generosity of supporters from around the country, Nichols and 19 other men joined the program in its first year.

Throughout the liberal arts education he received, Nichols describes learning in-depth about himself, others, and the world. Desiring to expand his worldview and refine his character, Nichols found immense value in learning under professors that wanted the same for him. “CPI professors...remove the culture of dehumanization within the carceral context, helping prisoners reimagine what they could be and helping them grow into that change,” Nichols reflects.

This change was realized through dialogue and discussion, as Nichols describes it. “The program is taught through a Christian lens, but professors encourage interfaith dialogue.” Learning alongside men with other beliefs (Buddhist, Muslim, and agnostic - to name a few) only enriched Nichols’ experience in the program. “Prison is like a microcosm of society; you have to have dialogue across multiple lines of difference in order to transform a culture.”

That transformation typically doesn’t happen naturally within prison walls. Nichols points out, “People might believe that the worst thing about prison is the confinement, but the worst thing is being held static over time. In general, people develop, grow, build, and create - but you do none of those things in prison, you just get older.”

Realizing he wanted to make significant steps toward changing his future, Nichols’ educational goals soon became missional as he sought to become a living witness of what God had done in his life and the lives around him.

“Life is all about relationships. The relationships forged during the program demonstrated a better way to live - how to treat people and interact with them. I wanted to be a part of that process for others by being an agent of change and renewal.” Approximately four and a half years into the program, Nichols received such a chance when he was released from prison and finished all remaining courses at Calvin’s main campus in Grand Rapids, resulting in his attainment of a bachelor’s degree in faith and community leadership. Subsequently, Nichols was offered the position of CPI program coordinator. “CPI gave me a chance to put this all into practice.”

In his work, Nichols writes grant applications, coordinates events, and everything in-between. Nichols puts it this way: “I do whatever needs to be done in any way I can serve the team.” He also helps other men who are navigating the re-entry process by driving them to appointments or helping them acquire vital documents - among other tasks.

“In working with students in the program on a daily basis, I find myself in a constant state of wonder at their motivations, their drive, and their desire to contribute to the flourishing of the community,” Nichols observes. Being gifted the opportunity to give back to these men is something Nichols doesn’t take for granted.

He also values the hard-working CPI team he’s a part of. “The work itself is less about what I am doing and more about what we are doing as a team,” Nichols shares. “I feel like I’m working with family.”

Nichols often finds himself reflecting on his past and how his life has transformed since being in prison. “In the first half of my life, I wasn’t much of a witness. In the second half, I’m seeking to change that,” Nichols says.

“My story is a story of God’s boundless grace, and grace desires a response - a response lived out in service. It’s not enough that He rewarded me with an opportunity to get a great education or to grow in relationship with others; I’ve been given an opportunity to create that change for others - to be a steward in God’s Kingdom.”