Anna was nine years old when her mother and uncle completed Odyssey, and she has fond memories of finding her own voice in Odyssey Junior. She was overjoyed to receive an acceptance letter from UW-Madison for the fall! We celebrate Anna and other Odyssey and Odyssey Junior alumni heading to UW, thanks to the support of donors like you.
Another Odyssey student thrilled to receive a UW acceptance letter is Jessica Jacobs, who completed Odyssey during the pandemic year and went on to take alumni courses to build more credits. Overcoming addiction and incarceration in the past, Jessica now has her sights set on becoming a social worker and continuing her work as a community activist on behalf of prison reform. She writes, “I graduated with my associates degree in May and am so happy to be moving on now to UW-Madison. I started in Odyssey. I wouldn’t be where I am at today if it wasn’t for this program. I have gotten so much support in so many ways from so many wonderful people.”
For Lucas Benford, graduation from UW Odyssey Project’s Class of 2024 led directly to UW-Madison’s Badger Ready program. Formerly a dropout of four colleges, Lucas discovered newfound hope and purpose in Odyssey, noting, ‘In Odyssey, group therapy meets a humanities buffet. With full stomachs we now nourish our body of knowledge and sate our third for wisdom.” Lucas hopes after earning a bachelor’s degree to go on to law school.
By then, we expect to already have our first UW Law School graduate (Corey ’06), more students earning UW bachelor’s degrees, and graduates of various UW master’s degree programs. This year, Char Braxton successfully completed her first two semesters as a transfer student to UW-Madison, making the Dean’s List. Once told “you are not college material” by a high school guidance counselor, Char shared her fight against that label in an On Wisconsin cover story that continues to move readers.
Will you be an agent of more triumphant journeys to UW credits and degrees?