“Looking at substance abuse, the mind of a drug addict doesn’t absorb things very well. So it took me a while, even in prison, before I started paying attention to the future and what I needed,” he told ThinkProgress. But after participating in rehabilitation classes for substance abuse and addiction, he was ready to make some big changes in his life — starting with furthering his education. Tom is now getting ready to graduate with a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies with an emphasis in business and law