MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — The welding shop in Skagit Valley College’s Reeves Hall is a far cry from the prison cell Kevin Riley spent about five years in until his January 2012 release.

“It was more of a personal goal,” Riley said of going back to school. “I think I had a chip on my shoulder and just wanted to prove that, at 43, I could do this. I wanted to be a good example for my daughter.”