Helen Prejean her best-selling book, "Dead Man Walking" (1993), based on her experiences with two convicts on Death Row for whom she served as spiritual adviser before their executions. In her book, she explored the effects of the death penalty on everyone involved. The book was adapted as a 1995 film of the same name, starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. It was also adapted as an opera, first produced in 2000 by the San Francisco Opera. Helen Prejean was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the daughter of Augusta Mae (née Bourg; 1911–1993), a nurse, and Louis Sebastian Prejean (1893–1974), a lawyer.
Carrie Prejean in an evangelical Christian household in Vista, California. Prejean's parents divorced in 1988. Prejean graduated in 2005 from Vista High School. She studied at San Diego Christian College, an evangelical private school located in El Cajon, California, and attends the Rock Church, where she volunteers with their outreach ministries, including JC's Girls. Prejean also volunteers with Luv-em-Up Ministries in El Cajon, where she works with children with developmental disabilities. She is studying to become a special education teacher. Prejean has modeled for Target, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, and Nordstrom. She has also appeared in "Bliss" magazine, as a model for