Underground Trojans, founded by a formerly incarcerated student and allies, is the oldest post-prison education advocacy group at the University of Southern California (USC). The mission of Underground Trojans is twofold: to challenge stigma and discrimination associated with past criminal convictions and build a "Prison-to-School Pipeline" through the recruitment, retention, advocacy, and wellness of formerly incarcerated students in higher education.

 

Underground Trojans has focused on reshaping narratives of incarceration through the success stories of formerly incarcerated students. Some of the group's activities have included organizing lectures, panel discussions, book drives, roundtables, film screenings, writing contests, and other community-university collaborative projects that emphasize the potential for formerly incarcerated students to grow and succeed through higher education.