A Taste of College Work Provides Just the Spark

Anita Weier

A class started by a UW-Madison professor four years ago to give disadvantaged people a university experience has blossomed, resulting in about 40 of 100 "graduates" going on to college at the University of Wisconsin and elsewhere.

It's also inspiring the current Odyssey class of 31, who gather every Wednesday night in a classroom at the Harambee Center in south Madison to stimulate their minds and learn literature and writing techniques, as well as history and philosophy.

"These are people who don't have money but have extraordinary potential. We give them a chance and it's amazing what can happen," literature professor Emily Auerbach said before a recent class began. "This gives them a sense of the riches they can find."

Read more about The Odyssey Project ... and consider making an end-of-year contribution.

Posted by Laurie Frost at November 3, 2007 9:56 AM
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