NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — From jail to Yale with several twists and turns. The story of Quavon Newtown – or Reverend Newton as he’s known these days.

To best understand how far he’s come, you have to know where he’s been.

The son of a preacher, Newton’s family moved from Harlem, NY to New Haven, CT.

Newton struggled to find his way. By his junior year of high school, he was selling drugs. He was expelled from Hillhouse High School. Newton obtained his GED but found more trouble. He was charged with four felonies and was incarcerated.

He credits Ken Lundy for giving him an opportunity at the Bank of America on Whalley Avenue. Newton also credits his father for the beliefs he instilled in him.

On Monday, Newton proudly received his diploma from Yale Divinity School.

“I strayed and had to find my own way, which unfortunately led me down the wrong path,” Rev. Newton explained. “The examples of my father were always there. Not only in my head, but also in my heart. That made it fairly easy to turn around.”

Newton turned his life around because someone took a chance on him. Newton is back in New York, a pastor at the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.