Odyssey Advisor Q&A

Kate Spies: What to Know for Odyssey 2025

Image

The Odyssey Project offers free credit-bearing University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign courses in the humanities to income-eligible adults in the East Central Illinois community. We asked Visiting Odyssey Project Academic Advisor and Student Support Coordinator, Kate Spies, a few questions about how to apply and what to expect as an Odyssey student.

Interested in Odyssey for this fall? Sign up for an information session by July 8, 2025.

For this year’s application process,  people will sign up for information sessions first. What can they expect from an info session? 

The Odyssey Project information session gives students a full explanation of what to expect if they apply and receive a spot in class. During the presentation, we talk about the mission of Odyssey, the schedule, the people, everything we offer, and what assignments and grading are like. We also give students a chance to ask questions. The purpose of the session is to make sure students have a complete understanding of what to expect so they can make the best decision for themselves about if they want to apply. 

For someone who may be interested in Odyssey, what are one or two things you think they should know about the program? 

The first thing students should know is that we are here for them. If they want to learn, we are going to make that happen. We try very hard to make the environment positive and welcoming because we know that people might be nervous. We also know it can be difficult for busy adults to prioritize education and we are grateful for their time commitment, so we try to show that in our respectful class environment. 

The second thing to know is that Odyssey is a lot of fun! We challenge students to read, write, and think about new topics, and amid all that learning, we laugh a lot and have very interesting conversations. Many students leave the program with a new friend or two. 

What do you think is the best part of working with Odyssey students? 

Without a doubt, it’s witnessing students’ confidence grow. Most folks are pretty quiet when we begin, but over time they participate more and more in class discussions. I love getting to see everyone’s personalities come out and hearing the treasure trove of stories and perspectives they have inside of them. Because that's when the magic of the humanities shines—the “me too” moments that make us all feel less judged and less alone. Those moments create hope, which we need now more than ever.