Morgan Anderson wrestled for years with addiction and homelessness. The father of two fought hard to turn his life around, but old habits die hard. In spring 2020, Anderson, 63, had fallen back into unhealthy patterns. Just credits away from graduating from A-B Tech’s Social and Human Services program, he was arrested for an assault charge. Unable to make bail and with courtrooms closed due to the pandemic, Anderson was forced to wait many months for trial. In the end, after a final charge was determined, he spent 55 months in prison.
Finally, after re-enrolling at A-B Tech in spring 2025, Anderson graduated with a Social and Human Services degree. He recently expressed his gratitude to Porscha Orndorf, chair of the Social and Human Services Department, who he tributes with helping him navigate to the end.
“You cannot imagine how I feel to finally accomplish this goal after everything I have been through,” he wrote in a recent email.
Anderson has lived many lives. After serving in the U.S. Air Force for four years as an aircraft mechanic, he settled with his young family in Rochester, NY. He worked there for several years as a computer operator at Chase Bank and later sold cars for nearly a decade. In 2009, Anderson moved to Charlotte for a new relationship, but by 2012, he had a relapse and sought recovery at the Asheville VA Medical Center’s substance abuse program. While there, he felt called to work in the human services field and help people like himself find addiction relief. He took an online peer support specialist course to learn the ins and outs of social services. By 2014, he landed his first peer support job, enrolled at A-B Tech, and was well on his way to his dream career. Then came another relapse, followed by incarceration.
Looking back, Anderson has reframed one of his life’s darkest times in a new light. While in prison, he first began practicing his faith, a form of Christianity that is grounded in Jewish traditions. “It was there that my relationship with the Most High grew,” he said. “I received many revelations into who I am and what my true purpose is.”
A large part of that purpose, Anderson believes, is to share his own story so that it might help others. He is presently working on a book about his journey. And with his associate’s degree in hand, he hopes to pursue a bachelor’s in social work and find work as a substance abuse counselor.
In the meantime, he sees his A-B Tech degree as a sign that he’s made it past “all the tests and trials” laid out for him. He’s eager now to begin again, fresh, armed with new knowledge and skills.
“This is not a job, it’s a calling,” he said. “Everything I have been through in my life is for this purpose. My life is not my own … I was sent (to prison) to save my life and that of others.”