UC Merced Ph.D. student’s journey from incarceration to teaching math to current inmates

While battling drug and alcohol dependency in his early 20s, Dos Palos native Cory Mccullough turned to commercial burglary to support his addiction. It was a decision that led to several stints in prison. But Mccullough ultimately found his way into a college classroom, where he discovered he was gifted at math. Now Mccullough is a third-year Ph.D. student of applied mathematics at UC Merced who also teaches currently incarcerated students through Merced College’s Rising Scholars Program. He spoke with Valley Edition Host Kathleen Schock about that work.