overcoming adversity and achieving dreams through higher education
“I’ve never in my life felt so free as I have felt taking this class.” —Mark, Odyssey Beyond Bars student in English 100 at Oakhill, fall 2021 On a bright, cold day in December, more than 50 guests gathered at Oakhill Correctional in person and by Zoom to celebrate another successful semester of Odyssey Beyond …
“Look around. You may not know each other yet, and this situation will test your comfortability, but you’ll all discover a community within yourselves.” — from “A letter to next year’s class,” by Danny, Odyssey Beyond Bars student in English 100 at Oakhill, fall 2021 By leaps and bounds. That’s the best way to characterize …
UW System has received a transformative $5.6 million grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to establish degree and certificate programs in state prisons, with the goal of preparing more students for professional success when they leave prison. The grant project will build on the success that Odyssey Beyond Bars and other UW programs …
Love Wisconsin, August 6 2021
Channel 3000, May 18 2021
Inside Higher Ed, May 18 2021
With the Story Exchange, we wanted to create a virtual space where folks could share short stories about their relationship with writing, in the hope that these stories would inspire others to recognize their labor as writers and to push forward on their writing journeys. One particularly impactful cluster of contributions to the Story Exchange …
Wisconsin Public Radio, December 7 2020
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 24 2020
“My ultimate goal — but that’s in a year or two or three years — is to have one prison turn into an educational institution,” Thompson said. “And instead of having a swinging door coming in and going out and coming back, I want this to be an educational opportunity,” he said. “So, when you leave prison, you’re …