David Norman-columbia graduate-drug dealer-handout
At 67, David Norman, has traveled a hard road. But after “two prison stints and so many arrests he’s lost count”, the former Harlem drug dealer donned a cap and gown last week to become a graduate of the prestigious Columbia University in New York.

While incarcerated 19 years ago, he had a moment of clarity, realizing he needed to pursue “some new behaviors.” He fell in love with reading, and began guiding other inmates toward finding new meaning in their lives.

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He walked out of prison in 2000 a changed man, and now walks with other graduates, 40 years his junior, into a promising future carrying a degree in philosophy.

Using his experience gained as an outreach worker helping substance abusers at Mount Vernon Hospital, Norman now works in community health as a research assistant at Columbia University, and plans to write about book about how he turned his life around.

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(READ his full story, w/ a video, from N.Y. Daily News)

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