The graduation ceremony for the UW-Madison Odyssey Project Class of 2018-2019 will be held on Wednesday, May 8, 6:30-8 p.m., at UW Memorial Union Great Hall on the UW campus.
The graduation ceremony is a chance to celebrate students’ successful completion of six UW credits following two semesters studying great works of literature, American History, art history, and philosophy in the UW Odyssey Project. From September to May, students in this rigorous, six-credit humanities course have discussed these great works while developing skills in critical thinking as well as academic, creative, and persuasive writing.
“Our graduation ceremony will be moving and unforgettable. Each of our 30 adult students will take the stage to share a minute or so of something they wrote during the year — poems about themselves, their own “I have a dream” speech, readings not only in English but also in Spanish, Tibetan, and Mandinka,” UW Odyssey Project Director Emily Auerbach tells Madison365.
Special guest Fabu, Madison’s former poet laureate, will read an original poem about Odyssey at the ceremony and graduating students will share brief, but very powerful words about their journey.
“Odyssey helped me get back hope and makes me feel it is possible for me to live my dreams,” says Odyssey student Candace (pictured above at left).
Fabu, an accomplished literary artist and educator, will join the faculty team — Project Director Emily Auerbach, Associate Director Kevin Mullen, Marshall Cook, Jean Feraca, Gene Phillips, and Craig Werner — in celebrating students’ successful completion of six UW credits following two semesters studying great works of literature, American history, art history, and philosophy.
“I guarantee that audience members will leave the ceremony inspired by the power of the humanities to transform lives and by the ability of the Odyssey Project to empower students to overcome adversity and achieve dreams through higher education,” Auerbach says. “As one student put it, ‘The Odyssey Project helped me unwrap my gifts and rewrite the story of my life.’”
The evening will include music and refreshments, brief readings by each graduating student, and recognition of the rest of the faculty team. The event is free and open to the public.
