Shanese runs alternative programs for at-risk youth and deals with the repercussions of incarceration in her classroom on a daily basis. Many of Shanese’s students come from broken households where their parents are on drugs, incarcerated or dead. Her students say they’d rather be in jail where they’re guaranteed a hot meal and a place to sleep.

Shanese had a relatively sheltered childhood, but when her parents found out she was stealing candy as a child, they took her to the local jail to scare her straight. That experience has always stuck with Shanese, and she promised herself she would never break the law, even when she struggled with homelessness in her teens and twenties.

As a no-nonsense leader and educator, Shanese is out to prove to her students that she can handle 60 days behind bars, and she’s confident that her tough-love upbringing paired with her ability to mentor troubled youth will give her an upper hand at the facility. Dubbed “Ms. Cray Cray” by her students, Shanese will speak her mind, even if it gets her into trouble with fellow inmates.