Mustafa Mohammed Saed (pictured above, far right) watched his sister and fellow Odyssey 2016 classmate Umaima (third from left) graduate from UW–Madison in December, wearing cap and gown and walking across the stage at a …
Odyssey Updates
Odyssey class of 2020
Odyssey made history on May 6 with its joyous, first-ever online graduation ceremony. Read our blog about the ceremony here. We’ll share graduation highlights in our June newsletter; in the meantime find NBC 15 coverage, student …
Odyssey during a global pandemic
In-person, lively, Socratic discussions in a classroom filled with laughter, shared meals, and plentiful hugs have been at the heart of Odyssey classes for 17 years. What should we do in a pandemic? How can …
From Iraq to UW–Madison
During December’s University of Wisconsin–Madison graduation ceremony at the Kohl Center, Chancellor Becky Blank singled out Umaima and her family for special mention (watch the video here). A refugee from Iraq, Umaima graduated from the UW …
A Decade of Love
Every February, we broaden our understanding of Valentine’s Day by asking Odyssey students to start an essay with “I love.” Here are samples from the past decade, including many focusing on the joy of learning: …
“I Am Somebody”: Starting Second Semester
Students in the Odyssey Class of 2020 met on January 22 to start off the second half of our two-semester course. They read from the January Oracle featuring their writing from December. All students had …
Graduation of first Odyssey Beyond Bars class
“I took this class to become a better writer with the hope of helping others soar. It has helped me to become a better father, son, and person as a whole. At the end of …
Odyssey students got to be “in the room where it happened”
Thanks to American Family Insurance’s generous donation of 30 tickets, Odyssey students enjoyed a mesmerizing performance of Hamilton last month at the Overture Center. Reviews and photos came pouring in: “The story of Hamilton reminded me of …