For me I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I had the opportunity to take an amazing job offer with a corporate company or continue pursuing my education. As you’re reading this post, you see where my destiny led me. I chose the Bolz Center and the University of Wisconsin-Madison for a variety of reasons. For starters, reading about and discussing the program with the admissions team, led me to the Bolz staff directly. These conversations made a major impact on my decision, because I believe in manifestation. I believe that if you speak the things you want in life, they will happen for you in due time. I knew my sophomore year of undergraduate study at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside that I wanted to attend UW-Madison for graduate study, but I just didn’t know in what area. I stayed up late nights speaking with my roommates, and I knew that UW-Madison was the perfect university for me. Not only because of the name that it holds, but for the amazing resources, connections, and support system it provides the students.
This year my Applied Learning Placement (ALP) is with the UW Odyssey Project, a University of Wisconsin-Madison humanities courses offering for adult students facing economic barriers to college. The Odyssey Project was founded by English Professor Emily Auerbach. In the six-credit English literature course, UW-Madison faculty members introduce adults to great works of literature, philosophy, history, and art and help them improve skills in writing and critical thinking. Where I’ll be assisting this year is with strategic planning for their 20th anniversary and their tutoring program held on Tuesday nights. We currently have planned a number of fun events to celebrate the 20th anniversary including, ‘20 Years of Amplifying Odyssey Voices And Celebrating Voting’ which was hosted on October 12th and the Odyssey Holiday Bazaar on December 3rd to help support local and small businesses. It’s been amazing to be a part of the Odyssey Project because I’m able to have the opportunity of hands-on learning experience and seeing how dedicated everyone is, especially the students. My favorite part is tutoring on Tuesday nights – talking amongst the students and assisting them with their work, and just hearing the stories about what brought them here and the outcome they want from it to make an impact on their lives.
Furthermore, while I’m still in the early stages of my experience with the UW Odyssey Project, I’m appreciative to be a part of something so life changing. I am grateful to meet so many people from different backgrounds. I also appreciate the connections that I’ve made with my Bolz Center classmates. Coming from a business background and seeing the majority of my classmates come from arts backgrounds really is a major change, but when you put the two together you get amazing results.
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