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Welcome to our e-newsletter
Minds in Motion
At the start of fall, the Free Minds cup runneth over! With a new group of students, an overflowing calendar of events, and words of encouragement from alum Tiffany Eagan, the recent cooler mornings signal countless opportunities ahead.
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2015 Class Embarks on a Year of Study
On August 18, the 26 students accepted to the Free Minds class of 2015 gathered for their first class of the year. Faculty, staff, and students crowded around the table, introducing themselves and sharing their educational histories. Students described encouraging teachers, educational opportunities of their parents, previous attempts at higher education, and aspirations for the future.
New student Gracie Bravo remembered growing up in a family where work often took precedence over education. "I was the first one in my family to get a high school diploma," she said. "I thought that was the only education I was going to need. Looking back, I sensed that I had missed something." Literature instructor Pat García emphasized the importance of educational role models, saying "We all want to be examples, but not all of us have had examples to follow. So how are we supposed to know what to do? I think that's how Free Minds can help."
This diverse cohort of students, which ranges in age from 21 to 62, will meet two evenings a week over the next nine months for discussion, close-reading, and trips to cultural events, earning six college credits in the process. Welcome and happy learning, Class of 2015!
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Meet our Faculty
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(from left) Dr. Pauline Strong, Michael Noll, Dr. Patricia Garcia, Dr. Matthew Daude Laurents, Charlotte Gullick
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Our Free Minds faculty has a wide-ranging curriculum in store for fall semester, built on the theme, How do we know what we know?
Dr. Matthew Daude Laurents (philosophy) kicks off the Free Minds year with Plato's monumental dialogue, the Republic, which asks, What is justice?
Dr. Patricia Garcia (literature) is excited to teach Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, capping off her unit with a live performance of the play.
Charlotte Gullick, MFA (creative writing) is new to the Free Minds faculty this year. During her unit students will delve into creative nonfiction, learning to tell their stories with detail and power.
Michael Noll, MFA (analytic writing) will walk students through the process of writing college essays, from brainstorming to revising. Dr. Pauline Strong (anthropology) will mix history with anthropology, as students read sections of great American autobiographies from Ben Franklin, Frederick Douglass, and more. |
Irene Salas, '14, Joins Free Minds Staff
 It has long been a goal of Free Minds staff to have a program graduate among their ranks. This fall that goal became a reality as 2014 graduate Irene Salas joined the team in the role of program assistant. Irene comes to the position after over ten years in the Health and Human Services department of Travis County. Said Irene, "I hope to gain even more knowledge in what I am passionate about: the community and helping to make it a better place." In addition to her work at Free Minds, Irene is currently pursuing her associate's degree at ACC.
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Alums, Join us for Second Saturdays! On the second Saturday of every month, Free Minds grads are invited to meet up for coffee, breakfast, and engaging conversation.
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Fall Writing WorkshopRegistration is open for our upcoming Writing Workshop, to be held on Tuesday evenings at the Trails at the Park Learning Center (815 W. Slaughter Lane). Emily Lederman, UT Literature Instructor and PhD candidate at UT, will facilitate the workshop, using guided writing exercises to help participants improve their comfort and skill at writing.
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Special Thanks
From screening applications to scheduling interviews to welcoming students on orientation night, many hands were involved in getting our new class up and running. Hearty thanks this month to everyone involved in the interview and selection process:
Juanita Andrade
Evan Carton
Harolyn Collins
Tiffany Eagan
Emily Lederman
Eileen McGinnis
Elisabeth Moreno
Katie Navine
Hilda Rivas
Irene Salas
Louise Sawaki
Polly Strong
LaKesha Thomas
If you are interested in volunteering with or supporting Free Minds, you can find more information on our website.
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Minds in Motion Archive Summer at Free Minds means recruiting next year's class, picnicking with alums, and hearing from one of our most faithful fans.
May 2014 We're celebrating our remarkable Class of 2014 as they graduate Free Minds.
Free Minds writers joined forces for a reading at Malvern Books, and a student-made video tells the story of class community.
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The Final Word
Tiffany Eagan, '12: "My Free Minds Family Was Like an Umbrella in the Rain"
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Tiffany with writing instructor Laine Perez on graduation day
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In 2010, I attended one of the Free Minds Creative Writing Workshops just for fun, which is where I was given the information for the Free Minds Humanities course. I can still remember how excited I was when I chosen for the 2011-2012 class. After our first reading, "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, I felt like I wasn't getting it. It had been almost 10 years since I had been in a class like this, and I remember feeling that somehow I had lost the ability to see beyond just the words on the page. I was being extremely hard on myself. After all, it was the very first reading, and I was feeling defeated already. I vividly remember holding back a response in class only to find out that the professor was thinking the very same thought! At that moment, I felt as educated as the professor, and I didn't feel as intimidated to learn anymore. Then at the beginning of the second semester, I faced one of the hardest challenges of my life, losing a good friend's mother and then my own father two days later. Losing a parent is tough. It makes you question your very existence and your purpose going forward. I really wanted to throw in the towel. Vivé, Amelia, and my classmates let me cry when I needed to. They wouldn't let me give up.
To the class of 2015, when you are having writer's block or you are just too tired to read, please reach out to your classmates, family, friends, coworkers, and anyone in your support circle. We all have experienced some challenging moments. However, I can promise that you will be so grateful and proud of yourself on graduation day. On the day that I graduated from Free Minds, I had such an overwhelming feeling of finally being able to complete something in my life, and I wasn't just sitting on the sidelines cheering everyone else as they accomplished their goals. My Free Minds family was like an umbrella in the rain. When life is pouring down on you, grab your umbrella in one hand and your books in the other and push forward. Anything worth having is worth every last bead of sweat and every teardrop in between.
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A program of Foundation Communities, in partnership with The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College, 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
Foundation Communities
3036 South 1st Street
Austin TX, 78704
Project Director: Vivé Griffith Program Coordinator: Amelia Pace-Borah Ph: 512-610-7961 F: 512-447-0288
www.FreeMindsAustin.org |
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