Peter Merts, photographer

This album contains photos of the 2026 BA degree commencement ceremonies for the San Diego State University VISTA program. VISTA (Valuing Incarcerated Scholars through Academia) is a 2-year completion Bachelor of Arts degree for incarcerated students at Centinela State Prison in California’s Imperial Valley.

This folder shows the ceremony for 16 Delta yard residents, where graduates earned a BA in Journalism.

SDSU's VISTA program and Holistic Learning for Higher Education in Prison are supported by CDCR and the Mellon Foundation.

Prints of these images are available at cost to families of the artists; 100% of the modest charge goes to FOTOMOTO to cover printing, handling, and shipping. To order prints, mouse hover over any thumbnail, then click on the shopping basket at top right of the thumbnail image.