“The eldest daughter of two refugees from South Sudan who escaped from war, I am a first-generation American who is proud of where I came from,” notes Odyssey Junior graduate Zawadi. Thanks to the generosity …
Year: 2024
Marking the dog days
See our photo gallery below celebrating Duke and a team of guest therapy dogs who listen patiently and non-judgmentally to Odyssey Junior children reading. Thanks to Go Team Therapy Dogs for frequent visits to our …
Keeping up with the Joneses
As this summer ends, Sanford Jones congratulates a granddaughter just offered one of the 30 coveted spots in the new Odyssey Class of 2025 set to begin in September. Sanford has a participation record that …
Writing as Revelation Inside Prison
“Our creative minds burst like piñatas when tapped into, for without creativity there would be no color in our bleak environment,” writes one Odyssey Beyond Bars student. “I write to find myself,” adds another, “and …
Meet OBB trailblazer Jean Feraca
“Teaching in prison has been the most democratizing experience of my life,” says award-winning journalist and Odyssey cofounder Jean Feraca. She adds, “It cuts me down to size while it equalizes and exalts me. It …
Building on a Record-Breaking Year
“Because of Odyssey Beyond Bars, I found hope and the pathway to becoming a better man and father,” wrote one incarcerated learner at Oakhill Correctional Institution. So much has happened in the five years since …
Scholarship superstars
Taken at a Madison Club luncheon for The Business Forum of Madison, the photo above shows four new scholarship winners (from left, Andrea White ‘23, Giana Mason ‘24, Sally Phelps ‘24, and Thedora Smith ‘21) …
Woman of distinction
Woman of Distinction When she applied for Odyssey in 2009, Keena was homeless and sleeping on the floor of a barbershop with her young son. Fifteen years later, Keena is not only a successful entrepreneur …
Exemplary Lifelong Learner
The Wells Family: A Legacy of Learning Across Generations “Returning to school after a 76-year hiatus is no small feat!” writes Mary Wells, Odyssey Class of 2007, about her 92-year-old mother. “It takes courage, determination, …
Heading to UW in the fall
Anna was nine years old when her mother and uncle completed Odyssey, and she has fond memories of finding her own voice in Odyssey Junior. She was overjoyed to receive an acceptance letter from UW-Madison …