UW Odyssey Project
overcoming adversity and achieving dreams through higher education

Beyond Odyssey Beyond Bars

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Beyond OBB

On May 18, students in full caps and gowns, diplomas in hand, turned their tassels and celebrated the completion of their degrees at Oakhill Correctional Institution. Governor Tony Evers congratulated the graduates, shaking their hands. The bachelor’s degrees awarded at Oakhill and Stanley Correctional Institution this spring are the first that any UW has awarded to incarcerated individuals since 1975.

This was all made possible by the UW–Madison-based Prison Education Initiative, an OBB partner, which supports the Universities of Wisconsin in delivering degree programs inside six prisons throughout the state.

Twenty-four students were recognized at this Oakhill event, with fifteen receiving a bachelor’s degree and nine receiving their associate degree through UW-Green Bay. Across the state at Stanley Correctional Institution, eight students received their bachelor’s degree from UW-Eau Claire, while another six students received their bachelor’s degree from UW-Stout.

Among those students, Benjamin Chacon, a bachelor’s graduate, began his college pathway with Odyssey Beyond Bars’ English 100 class, a course that many students cite as the catalyst for pursuing their degree. In his graduation speech, Chacon reflected, “When I came into this program back in 2023, I had no idea what direction my life was going in, or what I was going to do. I knew I genuinely wanted this to be my last time coming to prison so I had to do something different.” Chacon is planning to pursue his master’s degree in social work after his release.

The work is funded by a grant through the Ascendium Education Group.