I am presently incarcerated at Walton Work Camp in the Florida Department of Corrections. I want to express my thanks to your magazine for informing the public of the select few of us in the wastewater industry.

My story is different from the inmates in Virginia you wrote about in TPO (“A Fresh Start in Life,” June 2015). In my case, I took it upon myself to get my GED by asking to take the exam. I then successfully completed Volumes 1 and 2 of the correspondence courses for the operations of wastewater treatment plants from California State University - Sacramento.

I was pretty much told I was on my own when I asked for financial help for my courses. Luckily, my family paid for them. I then sent my application for the Class C Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator state exam and successfully passed (just barely).

After passing the exam, I sent my application for my state license with all my hours of experience working in our wastewater plant (at the time about 3,200 hours) and was granted a Class C license. It feels really good to know that all my hard work paid off.

I’m presently working on an advanced wastewater operator course for my Class B license, which I should have by April 2016. I have been subscribing to TPO for more than a year and read it all the time; I did so even before I had a subscription. Thank you again, and spread the word that if I can do it, anybody can if they put their mind to it.

Ronald Witt

State of Florida Inmate 314235 (temporarily)

State of Florida Wastewater Operator 22833 (permanently)