Robert Hall will graduate from UW–Madison this year with a double major in genetics and history. Along his journey he has overcome incarceration, poverty, and homelessness. Initially hiding his nonviolent felony convictions from those in the academic world, he realized that being open about his past was freeing and helped him progress and excel in his coursework. Throughout his time at UW–Madison, Robert has been involved with research, mentored students, given presentations, served on panels, and been a part of several campus organizations all while successfully completing a bachelor’s degree. His legacy to campus was starting Liberated Intellects, the first formerly incarcerated led project aimed at aiding other previously incarcerated individuals in fostering their education. Robert will begin an evolutionary biology PhD at Stanford University in fall of 2023, where he plans to continue Liberated Intellects.