
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Odyssey Project helps adults facing adversity get a jumpstart on a college degree. Over the past 12 years, participants have journeyed from poverty and incarceration to meaningful work in the community. This year, the new Lisa Munro Next Generation Scholarship grants $1,000 to an Odyssey Project graduate who is continuing her educational journey.
Josephine Lorya-Ozulamoi immigrated to the United States with her family after growing up in East Africa, where she escaped the war in South Sudan. She discovered the Odyssey Project as a means of earning credit at UW-Madison, taking advantage of the free tuition and textbooks. The program empowered her to make the transition to college, and she’s now studying for a master’s degree in social work at UW-Madison.
“I am pursuing my degree because I have a passion for helping others,” Lorya-Ozulamoi says. “My family and I came to this country as refugees, and the main goal my mom had for my siblings and me was to get an education. My husband and I are similarly reminding our two children about the importance of education. I have faced a lot of struggles, but I have never and will never give up. I was given a second chance to education when I applied for the Odyssey Project.”
Lorya-Ozulamoi will be honored at a reception on Tuesday, April 28, in Varsity Hall at UW-Madison’s Union South, 4:30-6:30 p.m. The reception will also recognize winners of other adult student scholarships and awards.
The Lisa Munro Next Generation Scholarship includes a gift of $300 for a young person chosen by Lorya-Ozulamoi. The gift is inspired by the recommendations of the Race to Equity Report, which identified extreme racial disparities in Dane County. It is meant to support a child in grades K-12 by providing not only funding, but also mentoring by the Odyssey Award recipient. Lorya-Ozulamoi plans to give the award to her daughter, who will use it for enrichment opportunities at UW-Madison.
Positive changes
Funded by private donors, the Next Generation Scholarship is named for Lisa Munro, a tireless advocate for adult students since joining the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at UW-Madison in 1970. Munro, who retired in 2003, spent the last 24 years of her career with the Adult Career and Special Student Services in the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies. She encouraged many adults as they pursued their dream of a college degree.
Lorya-Ozulamoi hopes to become part of the process herself when she achieves her dream of being a social worker.
“My goal is to become a therapist working with underserved populations, such as refugees,” she says. “Upon my graduation, I would also love to use my expertise and volunteer as a mentor to the Odyssey students.”