FALLSBURG, N.Y. -- Fourteen years ago, Ga-Mel Cherry was convicted of attempted murder. He's been serving time at the Sullivan Correctional Facility.

However, Cherry was determined to come out a changed man. So in 2011, he decided to pursue a college degree.

“This is my life now. Education is what I love doing," Cherry said. "I love reading and I’m so pleased to be a part of this program.”

After years of hard work, Cherry received his associate's degree in Arts and Humanities from SUNY Sullivan.

On Wednesday, Cherry was one of 16 men from Sullivan Correctional Facility to receive their degree, as part of a program called Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison.

“We have a rippling effect from the work we do inside that’s going all the way back to the community these men left from," Hudson Link executive director Sean Pica said. "This is changing lives, this is changing the cycle of recidivism.”

The organization has been helping inmates get college degrees since 1998. 

It's funded with help from colleges and private donations only, no state or federal funding. The program has a recidivism rate of less than four percent.

“Education became my motivator," said Samuel Arroyo, a 2005 graduate of the program. 

Following his release, he went on to earn a doctorate from Saint John Fisher College. Today, he's the program director for Hudson Link.

"It allowed me to transition, to make the necessary transition in change in life that helped me as an individual,” Arroyo said.

Graduates say the idea of higher education in prison might be controversial to some, but they also say earning a degree gives them a chance to help heal the community they hurt.

“It’s changing us," said Gabriel Cabrera, a graduate who is serving time for second degree murder. "It’s changing the way we’re able to communicate with others. It’s making us more aware of our surroundings. It’s making us better people.”

“I think we should still be looked at as human beings and we have the potential to do great things if we put our minds to it,” said graduate Gus Bethea, who is serving time for robbery. 

For many of the graduates the higher education road doesn't end here. Several of them will be pursuing a bachelor's degree this fall.

“My interest is to start a nonprofit for the youth,” said Cherry, who is up for parole in seven years. “You always have room for change and when you do change just make sure you are sincere about it and keep education first.”