Free Minds
December 2010
Welcome to Our E-newsletter
Minds in Motion

In our last newsletter of 2010, students reflect on their favorite moments, an alumna shares her gratitude for a job she loves, and we give thanks for the people and organizations that made the fall semester so exciting. Happy holidays from Free Minds!
Students Share Their Favorite Moments of the Semester

The fall semester ended on December 13 with students reflecting on how far they have come together since August. "I love this class for everyone in it," wrote one student. We feel the same. Here are some of the highlights of the semester, in their words:

"The creative writing brought on a lot of soul searching that led me to be able to express myself like never before. Even now I can say my conversations have changed for the better - I relate to others like I never could before. These classes are life changing!"  Liz Vega

"I loved watching the Shakespeare play that was done by the Actors from the London Stage at UT.  I hadn't been to a play and it was an exciting and new experience."

"The overall class has gotten me back in the spirit of school, reading and analyzing all the stories that we read. The parts on racial geography and slavery were current and past reminders of what I go through on a regular basis and what my ancestors went through. And that knowledge is power."  Greg Thompson

"My favorite moment this semester was seeing Shakespeare acted out. I loved role playing and Clayton Stromberger's energy. He helped me live out my secret desire (acting)." Hope Johnson

"Last Thursday was a really, really bad day, but when the class started it was like I opened a door to a different dimension and my worries blew away. We discussed our reading assignment and when the class ended I was recharged with new energy to confront my problems from a different view."  Lorena Cruz     


Dr. Gregory Vincent Visits Class, Impresses Value of Higher Education

"Dream big," Dr. Gregory Vincent told Free Minds students when he visited class on Thursday, December 2.  Vincent, vice president for diversity and community engagement at UT-Austin, shared his personal history and views on education, as well as some advice for adults returning to school. He encouraged students to have a plan and to trust that they're not alone. "You have allies you don't even know," he told them, "people who will fight for what you're doing."

Vincent spoke about education as a public good, something with value that goes beyond the individual. For this reason, it's critical that we invest in education as well as engaging with it personally. He commended students for doing so by enrolling in Free Minds.

"Someone in your family, neighborhood, or community is looking at you right now, and they're inspired by what you're doing," he said. "When you decide to pursue your education, your entire community is enriched."

It's a message that resonated for students, who often enter the program as parents, workers, and members of religious communities.

"I loved when Dr. Vincent came and spoke to us," said Free Minds student Hilda Rivas. "I have always felt that education was of the utmost importance and that it's the means to get where I want to be.  It's important for me to see and meet people such as Dr. Vincent, who place such a high value on education."
Issue 9
In This Issue
Students Share Their Favorite Moments
DDCE VP Visits Class
A Special Special Thanks
The Final Word

Special Thanks

Free Minds is fortunate to partner with community and academic organizations that offer key resources to our students and program. We close the fall semester with gratitude to:

Camp Fire USA
Balcones Council
for running an innovative and exciting youth development program,

Austin Can! Academy
for sharing their space and facilities with us,

Austin Community College
for making faculty, academic advising, and course credit available to our students, and

Foundation Communities for offering critical support services.

Thank you!

If you are interested in supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.


Join Our Mailing List
Find us on Facebook  Free Minds Online


Minds in Motion Archives


June 2010
Read about our 2010-11 faculty and collaboration with Camp Fire USA

July 2010
Book donations, summer reading, Plato, and more

August 2010
A new class, a new space, and new programming for alumni

September 2010
Read about the new semester, including a reflection from founding director Sylvia Gale


October 2010
  • Adventures with Shakespeare and a master class with Dr. Domino Perez

  • November 2010
    Meet a student, a former faculty member, a volunteer and her grill pan

    Free Minds student Hope Johnson, left, prepares a scene in A Midsummer Night's Dream with Clayton Stromberger, middle, while Professor John Gonzalez reads along.
    Thank You, Guests and Volunteers!

    Dr. Vincent was one of many guests whose presence in the classroom has enriched our experience. We've been fortunate this semester to have hosted a number of visitors and workshop leaders who shared with students their expertise and enthusiasm. We'd like to thank:

    Grace Adams, Free Minds '09
    Dr. Matthew Daude Laurents, Philosophy Dept., ACC
    Dr. Stephanie DeHoff, Human Development, ACC
    Michelle Faires, Free Minds '07
    Lauren Gage, Student Services Specialist, ACC
    Dr. Patricia Garcia, English Dept., UT
    Dr. Edmund Gordon, Dept. of African and African Diaspora Studies, UT
    Lyman Grant, Dean of Arts and Humanities, ACC
    Zeynep Kleiman, Foundation Communities
    Charmaine Nichols, Free Minds '09
    Amira Pollock, AmeriCorps VISTA
    Judith Rhedin, Texas Performing Arts
    Clayton Stromberger, Shakespeare at Winedale
    Larry Thomas, Free Minds '08
    Dr. Gregory Vincent, Vice President, Diversity and Community Engagement, UT
    Norma Walker, Community Tax Centers

    And a big thanks to Amanda Brown, AmeriCorps VISTA, for cooking us hot, delicious meals each evening!
    The Final Word
    Marissa Machado on Gratitude and Her Dream Job
    Marissa Machado, second from right, with her daughters at the 2008 Free Minds graduation
    Being able to advocate for and effect policy change in the health care arena is quite a challenge. As a health policy researcher, I am grateful to go to a job that I know has challenges waiting for me each day. Because the home health care industry is ever-evolving and constantly progressing, it is important that I continue to evolve along with it. One of my work duties requires that I read an average of six hours each day to decipher the intent of proposed laws. I also provide guidance and interpret policy for our 1300-member organization. With the storm of changes occurring in the health care industry, my job is nothing to be reckoned with unless you are armed with a grateful heart.
           
    My company keeps a card in our lobby area that says, "My life expands inside my grateful heart." Today I am grateful for my health, my children and the confidence I gained in Free Minds. At the time that I began Free Minds, I had recently been laid off from a job I had held in the home care industry for 25 years. Even though I had many years of work experience, I realized that in order for me to land the job of my dreams, I would need academic tools to add to my tool bag. I relearned how to read and write, and I found an opportunity for networking. I became comfortable sharing my own personal reflections and experiences with others in my new community of learning. These valuable lessons helped me discover where I had been, where I was now and where I wanted to go.
     
    All the lessons I learned through Free Minds connected me with people in the community that helped me attain my professional goals. Ultimately, these lessons are what impressed my employer and helped me land the job of my dreams! So I'm passing this grateful movement on to all. I say, take a moment, listen to your heart and affirm out loud what it is you are grateful for today!

    Marissa Machado (Free Minds '08) is currently focusing her time on advocating for health care in Texas, but plans to return to Austin Community College in the fall to continue studying toward a degree in General Human Services.
    Free Minds header
    A program of the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, in partnership with the UT Humanities Institute, Austin Community College, and Foundation Communities, Free Minds offers a two-semester college course in the humanities for Central Texas adults who want to fulfill their intellectual potential and begin a new chapter in their lives.


    Free Minds Project
    Community Engagement Center
    1009 East 11th Street, #218
    Austin TX 78702

    Ph: 512-232-6093   F: 512-236-1729
    www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/freeminds