California woman goes from bank robber to college graduate

SAN DIEGO, Ca. – A former bank robber goes from criminal to college grad.

Laura Murray graduated with two Bachelor's degrees from San Diego State University this weekend.

Her unlikely success story started a decade ago during the financial crisis.

After losing her home to foreclosure, Murray resorted to crime and began robbing banks.

During her six years in prison, Murray said she learned about social injustice and gained new motivation to become a college graduate.

"I was under a lot of stress and I just decided to go and get my money back from the banks," said Murray. "So, I robbed one bank, and another bank, and another bank."

"I dreamt about San Diego State when I sat in that hot prison cell, and I made it my destiny to come here," said Murray. "I checked my web portal one day and where it said denied, it said admitted, and I just sat there by myself and cried."

Murray graduated with a 4.0 GPA. She was accepted into San Diego State through the "Project Rebound" program, which helps students transition out of prison and into higher education.

She's now working towards her master's degree in criminal justice.