overcoming adversity and achieving dreams through higher education
“I believe in the philosophy that everyone deserves a chance, and Odyssey is the chance I need to expand my horizons and learn,” Burnett Reed wrote when he applied for the Odyssey Project. A special education assistant who overcame a difficult childhood in Milwaukee, Burnett hopes to become a teacher and to inspire his five-year-old …
Throughout the summer, Odyssey staff and alumni have gathered online on Wednesday nights to keep learning, share heartbreaking experiences, and support each other during these unprecedented times. We have explored vocabulary words ranging from asphyxiation to heterogeneity, viewed art by Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, and other artists of color, sampled songs by Aretha Franklin and …
We are delighted to announce that this month Baron joins us as a senior, tenured professor with a joint appointment between the Odyssey Project and the UW Department of Theatre and Drama. For Baron, this new appointment represents a return to the university where he earned his PhD in theater. He also holds a diploma …
The UW Odyssey Project, First Unitarian Society, and MOSES Team invite you to a viewing of College Behind Bars, a film by Lynn Novick, as part of the First Friday Film Series on August 7 at 6:30 p.m. Join us as we “explore the transformative power of education through the eyes of a dozen incarcerated men and women trying …
“The UW Odyssey Project, providing free humanities courses for adults near the poverty level, received a new $3 million endowment a few weeks ago. Major gifts from Pleasant Rowland and John and Tashia Morgridge among others will enable Emily Auerbach’s terrific program to continue moving people from homelessness and incarceration to college degrees and community …
“In the midst of a highly insecure time, the University of Wisconsin–Madison Odyssey Project secured $3 million in gifts, a base for the future of Odyssey and its transformational work in breaking the cycle of generational poverty through access to education. Odyssey graduates, over 90 percent of whom are students of color, have journeyed from homelessness to …
Brian Benford, Odyssey Class of 2007, survived cancer, raised five children, and battled poverty as he journeyed toward degrees and a career. Although the pandemic robbed him of the chance to walk across a stage in cap and gown to mark earning his master’s in social work from UW–Madison this May, he describes his joy …
For the first time in Odyssey’s history, we are beginning a new online-only class. The challenges are immense, as we will be working to create a warm community and life-changing effects without in-person discussions, hugs, performances, field trips, and shared meals. From securing laptops, stipends for Wi‑Fi access and food, child-care assistance and enrichment through …
During insecure times, we are thrilled to announce a $3 million endowment to help secure Odyssey’s future. The endowment is named after Emily’s mother, Wanda, who made it out of dire poverty through her love of reading and a free college education. “Through her walk of poverty and courage to rise above, Wanda Auerbach knew what it …
“We must give men and women in our marginalized communities more opportunities to develop their voices, and we must equip people entangled in the criminal justice system with the tools they need to transcend it.”