overcoming adversity and achieving dreams through higher education
Madison’s mayor proclaimed October 12, 2022, to be “Odyssey Day” in recognition of our 20 years of changing lives. Instead of holding a regular Wednesday evening class, the Class of 2023 traveled again by bus to the UW campus, this time joining with hundreds of alumni, supporters, and community members in the Great Hall of …
What a magical evening we had last Sunday at American Players Theatre seeing A Raisin in the Sun with 70 Odyssey students, alumni, staff, and guests! Current student Aida, whose nine-year-old son loved attending the play with her, treasured the story of Mama’s strength in the face of bigotry. “It reminded me of the presence …
For the first time since 2019, we resumed our annual tradition of taking 30 new Odyssey students by bus from South Madison to the UW campus. The first stop was Union South, where the Wiscard office stayed open late to help students get photo ID cards. “It’s official now!” posted Mark on Facebook, holding his …
“Just tell me where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me what it is you want to be—and you’ll BE it. Whatever you want to be—Yessir! You just name it, son, and I hand you the world!”—Walter in A Raisin in the Sun For all 20 years of Odyssey’s history, Odyssey …
Congratulations to Duke Ellington, a German shorthair pointer, for achieving certification by the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and for making progress towards becoming a Canine Good Citizen! Owner-trainer Brian Benford, Odyssey alum and full-time success coach, notes, “I hold high expectations for Duke. After all, he is named after one of our greatest jazz masters. …
“You are extraordinary!” UW’s new chancellor told Odyssey alumni as she visited Odyssey’s South Madison home on her second day on the job. Odyssey Codirector Emily Auerbach welcomed Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin, gave her a brief overview of Odyssey’s 20-year history, and rapidly turned the program over to six alumni. Char Braxton, Odyssey ’06, read an …
Caption: Books from the OBB Library collection on their way to prisons around the state “Freedom begins with a book.” — Reginald Dwayne Betts, a formerly incarcerated Yale-educated lawyer, poet and founder of Freedom Reads Peter and Lauren from the Odyssey Beyond Bars team were on a tour of Dodge Correctional in May when they stopped …
Caption: APT’s Gavin Lawrence coached Odyssey students in readings from A Raisin in the Sun. Just tell me where you want to go to school and you’ll go. Just tell me what it is you want to be—and you’ll BE it. Whatever you want to be—Yessir! You just name it, son, and I hand you the …
“We make a choice each moment that affects the rest of our lives and the lives of everyone around us. The decision is about whether we are the situation we are in — or if the situation we are in is a stepping-stone leading to where we want to be.” – Eric, a student in …
Caption: Students from OBB’s English 100 course at Oakhill, spring 2022 In May, Odyssey Beyond Bars (OBB) concluded an incredible semester of growth in which we offered courses in three new prisons, in addition to multiple courses at Oakhill Correctional. I had the joy of touring the state and attending final class sessions for each …