When Danielle “Dani” Gordon first saw application information about the CT Children with Incarcerated Parents (CTCIP) scholarship in UConn’s school-wide Daily Digest, she wasn’t sure it was meant for her.
“I was hesitant because I was like, does this apply to me?” Gordon recalls. After looking through the application, she decided not to downplay her own experiences and submit an application.
“I kind of just told my story,” she says.
That decision gave Gordon additional financial support during the final years of her undergraduate education and an opportunity to reflect on experiences she hadn’t previously had the time or space to talk about.
The CT Children with Incarcerated Parents Initiative (CTCIP) offers scholarships to UConn students who have been impacted by the incarceration of a parent or a close family member. Selected students may receive up to $1,500 per academic semester, with awards renewable for up to six semesters.
Launched in 2014, when the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy (IMRP) and CTCIP, the Institute’s longest-running initiative, were housed at their original home at Central Connecticut State University, the scholarship was designed to help alleviate the financial burden of college tuition. Since IMRP’s move to the UConn Hartford campus in 2021, the scholarship has been largely funded by annual UConn Gives fundraising and by individual donors. It is offered annually to UConn Hartford students as well as those on other UConn campuses.
“To date, the CTCIP scholarship has awarded more than 25 scholarships, totaling over $75,000, to students impacted by parental incarceration,” says Irvine Peck’s-Agaya, senior project manager for CTCIP. “The funds allow recipients to focus on their educational goals. They also receive support from the many CTCIP resources available from our team and on our website.”
A story she had kept quiet
As a child, Gordon knew that difficult things were happening in her family, but she often didn’t understand what was happening or feel that she could talk about it. She grew up primarily in New Haven, raised largely by her mother and grandmother. Her stepfather was in and out of incarceration while she was growing up, and an uncle on her mother’s side was also incarcerated for many years.
Her uncle’s incarceration was particularly complicated. Gordon remembers visiting him in jail and realizing that she barely knew the man who greeted her as though he knew her well.
“I remember realizing, I have an uncle. Like, I didn’t even know I had an uncle.”
Eventually, Gordon developed a close relationship with him. He encouraged her, repeatedly telling her she could accomplish things she wasn’t always sure she could do.
In January 2023, while Gordon was in college, her uncle – who was out on release – was killed by gun violence. His death followed the deaths of other members of his family in a house fire the previous year. The following year, Gordon’s grandmother, the family matriarch who had helped raise her, also died.
“It was just three years back-to-back to back,” Gordon said. “It was terrible.”
For much of her childhood, Gordon said, she learned to keep experiences like these to herself. She worried that talking about her family’s circumstances could lead to misunderstanding. She also didn’t know that other young people were experiencing similar things.
“We would talk about homelessness or poverty, but there was never a lesson we had where it was like, has anybody experienced incarceration?” she said.
It wasn’t until college, particularly during her sociology and social work classes, that she had opportunities to reflect on her childhood experiences.
More than financial support
By the time Gordon found the CTCIP scholarship, she was already accustomed to searching for scholarships to help pay for college. She knew that even relatively small awards could make a difference.
But the CTCIP application offered something beyond financial assistance. Gordon said the process gave her a chance to stop and think about experiences she normally had little time to process. Being able to tell her story felt “therapeutic,” she said, while the scholarship itself gave her a greater sense of financial security.
“I wanted to raise some kind of awareness,” she says. “I just wanted to share it to somebody and get it off my chest.”
“The experiences they’ve had are so unique and challenging – we want to get their voices involved,” Peck’s-Agaya says. “The scholarship is a way to show students they are not alone and to encourage them as they pursue their education. But just as important, our work is to ensure services reflect their needs, so their perspective is important in all we do. More importantly, we want them to feel a sense of community.”
Gordon was an involved student at UConn, serving as an RA at Werth supporting the BSOUL and ScHOLA2RS House learning communities, providing targeted mentorship for students of color. She also served as president of the Encore dance team and on the Social Work student association. After graduating in May 2025, she is now pursuing a master’s degree in clinical social work at Southern Connecticut State University. Her experiences have influenced her interest in helping others and becoming a resource for people facing difficult circumstances.
“It won’t define your reach”
Gordon says she has become more vocal about the importance of talking about experiences that families may otherwise keep hidden. She also wants other young people affected by incarceration to know that their family history does not have to determine their future.
“Your experience may help you mold who you are, but it won’t define your reach,” she said.
And for future students who might read about the scholarship and wonder, as Gordon once did, “Does this apply to me?” Her answer is simple: it may be worth telling your story.
Applications for the 2027–2028 academic year will open in January 2027. Additional information about eligibility, application requirements, and deadlines can be found here when the application period begins.