Communiqué
Former Drug Dealer Vows to Use His New Ohio University Degree to Help Others
By: Tom Hodson
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Jerry Thomas sold drugs of all kinds in the Ironton area from 1996 until he was arrested, along with most of his family, in 2008. By then, he had not only sold drugs but he was addicted to his own products.
“I was initially in the Dope Game for money, power and respect,” he said. It wasn’t until he was in prison and facing the daily terrors of confinement that he realized his perceptions were myths. He realized that his illegal drugs actually had been causing pain to many people and their families – including his own.
Through a series of rehabilitation efforts while incarcerated and under lock-down, Thomas kicked his drug habit and vowed, when released, to become a better father and citizen. He wanted to start giving back to all of the families he had hurt while he was selling drugs and he wanted to be a good father to his daughter.
To do that, he determined that he needed an education. He enrolled at Ohio University Southern and has proceeded to work hard earning associates and bachelor’s degrees from Ohio University. His focus is psychology.
Thomas, however, is not finished with his education. His ultimate goal is to receive a doctorate in clinical psychology so he can counsel addicts and people struggling with substance abuse.
Thomas talked with WOUB’s Tom Hodson and painted a word picture of his journey from tragic drug addict and criminal to his redemption as an Ohio University graduate.
It is a moving and gritty story of courage and determination.
Thomas tells it with brutal honesty about himself and his misdeeds. He gives an insider’s look at the horrors of prison in Ohio. He also praises faculty at Ohio University Southern who did not judge him but instead helped him obtain part of his dream – an education.