Odyssey students who had Carrie Bohman as their Social Studies teacher at Madison West High School do a double take when they enter Odyssey’s classroom a few years later and see her twin, Odyssey’s academic advisor, Christine Cina. How did these first-gen twin sisters from a small town in central Wisconsin both end up with college degrees and academic careers?
Christine says from childhood on, she knew her twin was her “built-in confidante, through thick and thin,” even though they fought ferociously. They grew up in Marshfield, Wisconsin with loving parents and grandparents who had a strong work ethic but no college degrees. Their father worked blue-collar jobs such as a self-taught mechanic or butcher, and both parents were resident directors for 14 years for a home for women in crisis pregnancies and domestic violence. Their Oma (see photo) told them tales of being punished for speaking German in school. As a farm wife and mother of four, Oma raised chickens, ducks, and rabbits for Hasenpfeffer, then took a job at a shoe factory.
“My Oma was a force of nature,” Christine says. “Carrie and I were lucky to have relatives who encouraged our love of learning, our passions and dreams, and our desire to attend a university, not only for our own sake but to benefit others as well.”
Christine calls her Odyssey Project Navigator position a dream job allowing her to work with students to achieve their academic dreams and become lifelong learners. “The most rewarding part of my job is to see how education combined with generous love and care can inspire, move, and improve people’s lives.”
Christine reaches out regularly to see how alumni from the previous 22 years of the program are doing and what might be holding them back from taking their next step. She attends both Monday night’s Family Learning Center and Wednesday night’s Odyssey class to get to know students and their families. She even advises those who were turned away from Odyssey, helping to link them to other programs while they wait to reapply.
“People always say to me that they can tell I really love my job. I respond by telling them how fortunate I am. I love the fact that Odyssey views education as a way to improve not only an individual’s life but also that of their family, community, and world.”