Obama Sends Note to Woman He Freed From Prison

In the home stretch of his presidency, Barack Obama issued a wave of clemencies, mostly for people serving long sentences on drug convictions. One of those freed from prison was a woman named Danielle Metz, who was arrested in 1993 at the age of 26 and given three life sentences for her role in her husband's cocaine operation. Earlier this week, a report in USA Today caught up with Metz and recounted how she had made the dean's list at Southern University in New Orleans after enrolling as a 50-year-old freshman.

"You don't know what you did for me," Metz said, imagining a conversation with Obama. "I'm finally coming into my own. I made the honor roll." As it turns out, the story caught the former president's attention, and he sent Metz a handwritten note, per a new USA Today story. "I am so proud of you, and am confident that your example will have a positive impact for others who are looking for a second chance," Obama wrote. "Tell your children I say hello, and know that I'm rooting for all of you." (More President Obama stories.)