Alumni Visit Free Minds Class
By the end of the first month of classes, students had already turned in their first essay and read Toni Morrison’s “Recitatif” and selections from The Epic of Gilgamesh. It was the perfect moment for a visit from Free Minds alumni to calm students’ anxieties and cheer them on for the year ahead. On September … Continue reading
Michelle Faires ’07 Reflects on Coming Together
This summer I had the opportunity to see the Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil show as well as Sir Paul McCartney himself in concert. For all you alumni out there who took last fall’s theater class, you’ll recall Vivé’s “goal index cards.” Experiencing the music of the Beatles performed live was one of my top … Continue reading
Guest blogger Kellee Coleman ’08 reflects on Plato’s REPUBLIC
When I started Free Minds in 2007, my son UsZee was four months old and I already had my three-year-old daughter Journee. At the time, I was living in South Austin in a one-bedroom apartment at a Foundation Communities property and making $8,000 a year. I had a 1987 Chevy Beretta that was on its … Continue reading
Guest Blogger Martha Randall (FM ’08) Reflects on Camp Fire USA
I loved being a stay-at-home mom, but it was my dream to go to college. So when my only child, Matilda, entered kindergarten, I entered college through the Free Minds Project. Twice a week I went to class and my little Matilda joined the Camp Fire USA group in the room next door. For two … Continue reading
Guest Blogger Charmaine Nichols Reflects on the Alumni Classes
After graduating from Free Minds in the spring of 2009 I knew that continuing my education was not just a dream anymore; it was now my reality. While selecting my courses to attend ACC in the fall I received an e-mail addressed to Free Minds alumni (that would be me) offering advanced courses for alumni … Continue reading
Abbie Navarrete, Free Minds ’07, graduates from ACC
When Abbie Navarrete walked the stage at ACC on Thursday after completing her A.A. in philosophy, “it was the culmination of a dream,” she says. “As far as the degree process goes, that was done. I knew I’d pass my classes,” she laughs. “But my kids were at the graduation ceremony, and I could feel … Continue reading
Liberation Sociology
On Monday evening a small group of Free Minds alumni gathered in a conference room behind the Texas Music Museum for a three-hour session of of Introduction to Sociology. Camp Fire USA kept the students’ children noisily entertained upstairs while the students began a lively discussion of Joe Feagin and Hernan Vera’s Liberation Sociology. Professor … Continue reading
Welcome to the Free Minds blog!
It’s been a big week for Free Minds! Our new website went live on Monday. (Check it out at http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/freeminds/.) That evening our alumni class, Introduction to Sociology, met downstairs and talked about income disparity, poverty, and education in the U.S. today. We began recruitment of our 2010-11 class on Tuesday, with shiny new brochures and a … Continue reading
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