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THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE OF THE MADISON TIMES WEEKLY NEWSPAPER |
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Odyssey Project starts folks in higher education By Laura Salinger
Since last fall, over 20 adults have spent their Wednesday evenings learning literature, philosophy, history, art history, and music. They read everything from Plato to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech to Supreme Court decisions, in a breakthrough program meant to encourage low-income residents to recognize their potential and head back to school. The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Odyssey Project has made it possible for low-income residents to study the humanities and thus to learn about themselves. The project was inspired by writer and educator Earl Shorris, who developed an experimental class focused on the humanities for people living in poverty in New York. Like Shorris’ program, the Odyssey Project offers the opportunity for higher learning to people who have often been excluded from such opportunity. On May 26, 24 students ranging in age from 18 to 55 graduated from the Odyssey Project in a ceremony in the UW-Madison Humanities Building. They received either three or six UW-Madison credits. Two of the partcipants will go on to school at UW-Madison, one will go to Edgewood College, and approximately 10 plan to attend MATC (Madison Area Technical College). "I am definitely more motivated to pursue higher education once again," Odyssey student Quintella said. "Having people believe in me and motivate me the way that these professors have, certainly gives me hope for my future." "I have changed a lot," student Ricky said. "My attitude toward education is so much different, because I know now that education is key in my future. Without this class, I don’t think I would have the same outlook on education as I do now." Odyssey students said they had gained much in addition to a desire to pursue higher education. Some said the class had increased their interest in reading and helped them pass that on to their families. One student with young children said that before Odyssey, his family would often pass time in the evenings watching TV or playing video games. After he started classes, he would sit down at the kitchen table to read his assignments, and his children would bring books over and join him. His youngest, who can’t read yet, would also bring a book and pretend to read along. "I am very excited about this course, mainly to set an example for my children," student Joe said. "I am also proud of myself, which is something I have never said before, because I really worked hard." Others noted a surge in self-confidence and credited the Odyssey project for a renewed sense of hope in the future and a new outlook on the world. "I have changed a lot since the first day I came into class," student Melissa said. "I look at things differently and in a positive way. I know we all had to struggle to get this far. Some of us made it, and some of us [did] not. Maybe I’m not going to go as fast as some of my classmates, but you’ll see me at the top someday. “I feel like Dr. King once did at the mountaintop. I hope I don’t fall. My mind and knowledge keep growing, and so [does] my soul. The program gave me wings that I use often to fly to those places I wouldn’t have dreamed [of going] or people [to whom I] thought I couldn’t go." The project director, UW-Madison English Professor Emily Auerbach, said the program works to open doors for people who have too often found those doors shut. She wants to dispel the myth that students must have money in order to pursue a higher education. Both of Auerbach’s parents rose from poverty to attend Berea College in Kentucky, one of the nation’s only colleges for low-income students. "My mother went through school with one skirt and two shirts," Auerbach said. "My father was a holocaust survivor, a recent immigrant with no money." Auerbach said she hopes the Odyssey Project will work to break down the income barrier that often dissuades people from pursuing a college degree. "Higher education offers a new chance, a new life," she said. "This class is really about enabling people to get a foot in the door and do things that people told them they could never do." The Odyssey Project will open its doors again next fall to help a new group of adults realize their dreams for a higher education. The project is calling for applications and encouraging people to apply as soon as possible. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, possess a high school diploma or GED/HSED (high school equivalency diploma), and have an income at or below the federal poverty level. They must also exhibit a desire to learn, Auerbach said. The program is free. Tuition, books, and child care are provided. Applications are currently available at the South Madison Branch Library, 2222 S. Park St. Questions can be directed to Emily Auerbach, 262-3733, or Shawn Peters, 358-2969.
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As
a student read an excerpt from Charles Dickens, hands shot up.
The scene was a room in the Harambee Center on Madison’s south
side, and the students were eager to show what they have learned.
They had spent the past school year reading great novelists
and poets — writers like Dickens, William Blake, Shakespeare,
Sojourner Truth, Langston Hughes, and Toni Morrison. 