Sentenced at 16: Ty Wade’s Journey From Prison to Purpose | Episode 135

Workforce Skills with John Morris · Sep 17, 2026 · 30m

At just 16 years old, Ty Wade was sentenced to 30 years in prison with no possibility of early release. For the first decade of his sentence, he had little hope of ever coming home.

Then a letter from his mother changed the direction of his life.

In Episode 135 of Workforce Skills, John Morris sits down with Ty to talk about the decisions, discipline, education, and small victories that transformed his life. Ty shares how he went from repeated trouble and 23-hour lockdown to earning a college degree with honors, teaching programs inside prison, helping others through his artwork, and…