On May 8, 2014, Savina Blakeney graduated with a 3.0 average from Montgomery Community College in Troy. While being incarcerated at Southern Correctional Institution, she was awarded a certificate of office administration. She said at that time that this was the first of many certificates to come.
On Jan. 6, 2015, Blakeney was promoted to honor grade, which caused her to be transferred to Eastern Correctional for Women in Maury. On Jan. 10, 2015, Blakeney was transferred to Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women in Black Mountain. On June 2, 2015, Blakeney graduated from the residential treatment program with a certificate of 294 hours. Blakeney said that 2016 was the year of her journey home. On May 8, 2016, Blakeney was awarded a certificate from the TAN Re-Entry Life Plan program. Her cousins, Catherine Lorene Bennett and Kimberly Bennett from Wadesboro, attended her graduation ceremony. On Nov. 21, 2016, Blakeney graduated from Warren Wilson College in Asheville. She participated a writing class. She said that she had no idea that she had any writing skills. Each student was asked to write a poem or short story to put in a book that was published and each student received two copies of the book, titled, “The Journey Home.” Blakeney was proud of her piece that she called, “A Deadly Wrong Turn.”
Blakeney was also excited because she heard that Natalie Baszile attended Warren Wilson College and she wrote her book, “Queen Sugar,” there. The book was turned into a television series.
Blakeney graduated another class sponsored by Goodwill called, “Project Re-entry,” a program that gives information on resources to help inmates transition back to society. Blakeney has also been contacted by mail informing her that she has been selected as a potential participant for a television series on the challenges inmates face when they are released from prison and during their transition back into society. Although she hasn’t been notified about the finals, she was very excited to know that she was considered. Blakeney also has been selected to be in the first peer support specialist class offered at Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women. The date has not been set yet, but Blakeney hopes to graduate from the class before she leaves on April 26.
Blakeney thanks God for allowing her life to be saved by the time spent in prison. She said that her life wasn’t a productive life anymore before her situation that led her to prison. She also stated that she would not have been able to do these six years and eight months without her children — Evita, Michael, Aaron and Corinthian — the love and financial support of her cousins, Lorene Bennett and Kimberly Bennett, and niece, Shanice Leak. She stated that she loves them. She wants to pass on the words that she received at graduation from the instructor, words she said she totally agrees with.
“I Am Woman.
“I am strong because I know my weaknesses.
“I am beautiful because I know my faults.
“I am fearless because I know illusion from reality.
“I am wise because I learn from my mistakes.
“I can laugh because I have known sadness.”