By Nathaniel Tishman & Minerva Perez

Ronnie Cole, 55, only exists for the purposes of paperwork and board meetings. Cole, a man who'd been in the criminal justice system for the better part of 35 years has given way to Zumani, the adopted name of the director of Project Rebound, a program helping to reintegrate recently released prisoners into a university environment.

A small wiry man, Zumani's weathered ebony skin, a head of thin wild dreadlocks, and jet-black eyes tell the story of a successful transition from inmate number B8481 behind the steel bars of the penitentiary, to the campus of San Francisco State. Under the mentorship of Black Studies professor Aguibou Yansane Zumani earned a Master's degree in Sociology in the early 1990's, and today coordinates Rebound, something he takes extremely seriously.

"Rebound makes PhD's– this ain't no joke, or no student organization here," he says in a tone more resembling a street preacher than a university bureaucrat.

But then again, Zumani's history is light-years distant from most San Francisco State students and staff.

"I left home at 15, and became socialized in the jail system," he recalls. "From 16 to 18 my behavior escalated, I began making my own money, and being my own man."

Zumani was being educated and maturing, but not in the traditional sense. He learned how to protect himself in the violent prison environment, and skills more relevant to what seemed to be his course in life.

"I was a functional illiterate, but I'd learned how to count money and the tricks of the trade in jails and prisons. In 1968, I was one of three teens on the yard at San Quentin– I was 19. If I hadn't been a man, I wouldn't have made it."

At 40, Zumani left prison for the last time determined to pursue a better life. His account of the previous years reads like a tour of the California Department of Corrections.

"Folsom, Soledad, San Quentin, Sierra, Susanville, Tracy, CMC East, Janestown, Tehatachapi," he says, ticking them off on his fingers.

Shortly before his release, Zumani had inquired about opportunities for going to college when he got out. One of the few benefits of having spent such a large amount of time in prison was that it had given him a chance to earn a high school diploma and 30 units of college credit. Today the prison system has eliminated virtually every similar educational opportunity, mainly due to budget cuts. When he arrived at San Francisco State, Zumani dedicated himself to school like nothing he had ever done before.

"My academic lights just went on. I came out of the darkness and into the light," he says.

One of the most important things in Zumani's mind was to break down the stereotype that most students had of people who had been in prison, or had a criminal background. He was very open about his past, and students respected him for it, dubbing meetings with him sessions at the 'Dr. Ronnie Cole School of Sidewalk Psychology.'

"I helped to demystify the stereotype of the convict on this campus. People think a convict is something to shun, to keep in the closet and avoid. We've paid for our crimes over and over– I have nothing to be ashamed of. That's what they say on the street, 'there ain't no shame in my game.'"

Today Zumani works extensively with new students who have only been recently released. Jason Bell, 32, is one of his protégés. A large, athletic-looking man in a grey long-sleeved jersey and warm-up pants, he was released last year after serving nine years of a 17-year sentence in Vacaville State Penitentiary for attempted murder. Bell sees Zumani as someone he can look up to, someone who has been in his situation, and can help him through when times are difficult.

"Zumani has always been here for me. College can be really intimidating, with people looking at you all the time. It's been so good to be in this program and knowing that there are people supporting you has helped me to relax, and not worry about all that other stuff."

In addition to his studies in Sociology, Bell also works part-time at Project Rebound, helping with prisoner advocacy and working with at-risk teenagers at a center in Forest Hill. He plans to graduate in two years, and hopes to work as a probation officer for juveniles. He had originally wanted to work as a high school guidance counselor, but his criminal record prohibits him from working in the school system. Like Zumani, his mentor, Bell would like to see the stereotypes about former convicts broken.

"People think we're going to hurt them, or steal from them, or something. We're just people who've gotten caught up in a different lifestyle. It's true that we adapted to our incarceration, but we can re-assimilate into society."

Bell is on parole now, which is due to be completed next year.

Although he is thrilled to be going to school now, Bell was very nervous about readjusting to life in the outside world when he was released. For the first six months he lived in constant fear that he would make a mistake, and be sent straight back to prison. After nine years, seeing his hometown of Dublin was difficult.

"When I got back my neighborhood just seemed so big," he remembers. "When you're down, it's so hard being away from things you care about. When you're released you appreciate the small things so much more, even just taking a walk in the park."