Yahara Journal plans art show, book release

ALEAH MULGREW Contributor

Every year, the Yahara Journal publishes a collection of poetry and artwork created by Madison College students. Throughout the school year, any and all Madison College students can submit their poetry, prose, short stories and all types of artwork through various contests put on by the Yahara Journal. These smaller contests award cash prizes.

All submissions to these contests are then taken into consideration for the honor of being featured in the annual Yahara Journal, released at the end of the Spring semester.

Asime Ibraimi, the editor of this year's Yahara Journal, has described her club as “a group of passionate, intelligent, hilarious outcasts that come hang out with each other once a week and share their love for art and poetry.”

These individuals commune every week to brainstorm events and opportunities to host around campus that offer a safe space for students to express their artistic sides.

Some of the events hosted this year have included an open mic where students were given a stage to perform their poetry, a Coffee and Creativity event where free coffee was offered along with various crafts and poetry readings featuring several local, published poets.

As Ibraimi states, “every aspect of the Yahara Journal provides artistic expression –from the contests, open mics, tabling events to the weekly meeting sharing and reading poetry together.”

This past month, the staff of the Yahara Journal has been hard at work editing and assembling their book and the release date has been set for Friday, April 28, at noon in the Truax Gallery. This journal will include 56 pieces of poetry, prose and artwork, all produced and submitted by Madison College students.

Along with the printed journal, the group will also host an art show in the Truax Gallery. This art show will feature some of the artwork chosen for the Journal as well as new art submissions received before the day of the show.

Students will have a chance to show off their hard work and incredible skills by displaying their art in an official gallery –something lots of college students would only dream of.

The Yahara Journal staff is overjoyed with the amount of submissions they received this year and they hope to continue this trend for future semesters.

At the end of the day, artistic expression is something that all students should be able to recognize and celebrate, and student groups like the Yahara Journal do just that.

“More than anything, it has brought people together,” Ibraimi said. “Young people who feel alone have found a sense of community and passion.”

That sense of community and passion is vital in a world of ever-growing distance between peers and the opportunities given by Madison College and the Yahara Journal certainly try their best to bridge the gap.

Bowers shared that when he was closer to graduating from the program, he started writing many letters, joking, “Being incarcerated, I wrote a lot — kind of my pastime.”

One of those letters landed on the desk of a VIP at Findorff, who reached out to him.

After receiving his degree, Bowers planned on furthering his education, but Findorff was so taken with him that they would train him instead.

Aaron Sowieja served six years before being released.

Sowieja said that most incarcerated people don’t have many job opportunities. However, he says he and Bowers prove it can be done.

“I want to change people’s perceptions. We’re not all bad people. We made bad decisions. Nobody can argue that fact,” Sowieja said.

Sowieja enrolled in the Production Welding Program through Moraine Park Technical College and graduated in four and a half months.

However, there were other issues he had to confront. Halfway into his sentence, Sowieja decided to stop being angry at everybody else and take responsibility for his actions. He decided to turn his life around, beginning with his mental health.

After developing ways to cope with his emotions, he heard about the Industrial Maintenance program through Madison College, where students receive two embedded degrees.

He wrote the education director and told them his story. After being accepted into the program, where he took classes seven hours a day, he received a motion granted for early release because of good behavior.

Within two weeks, Sowieja had four job interviews. He accepted a job as a maintenance technician at Village Hearth Products in Sun Prairie.

He remains a student, now in the Electro-Mechanical Technology program, and was recently inducted into Madison College’s Phi Theta Kappa honor society chapter.

One of the audience’s questions was how to address past incarceration while interviewing with a potential employer.

Bowers said it’s about addressing the issue upfront, allowing them to get ahead and develop their own narrative.

He focused on “owning” it when interviewing.

“Yes, I made a mistake. I have work experience. I have an education. Here’s the degree. Here’s my plan moving forward. Here’s how this job position fits with my goals and dreams,” Bowers said.

Sowieja agreed and said he brought up his criminal history almost immediately.

“I don’t want to feel like I’m hiding anything. I brought it up in the interview. The most important part of presenting that part of our lives is to turn negatives into positives,” Sowieja said.

Sowieja said that while he didn’t like being in prison, he didn’t hide his past, saying, “I am the person I am today because of it. I am proud of that person.”

Finally, they were asked about who is the most essential storyteller in their narrative.

Bowers didn’t hesitate. “It’s you. The people that believe in you. A collective voice. Own your story. Saying where you want to go and be in life. You have to own where you came from. I can’t change that. I can only contribute to my story and give retribution to the mistakes that I made.”

Sowieja said he wants people to look at the whole broad spectrum of his life. Not necessarily of who he was in one part of his life. He said he strives for what his legacy is going to be.

“I am not the storyteller. I am the story maker.”

Dapi

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 for open communication, guidance and support, which fosters a strong student-advisor/mentor relationship. Such support contributes to students' academic endeavors, providing them with the confidence and motivation to pursue their educational goals.

To be eligible for initiation into Delta Alpha Pi international honor society (DAPi), students must meet specific criteria. These criteria include having a documented disability and working with one of the advisors in Disability Resource Services, or self-identifying as an individual with a disability. Additionally, students must have completed a minimum of 24 credits and maintain an overall Quality Point Average (QPA) of 3.10. Lastly, students should also demonstrate a genuine interest in disability issues. Meeting these requirements allows students to be considered for initiation into DAPi, a prestigious honor society recognizing academic achievements and involvement in disability-related matters.