The unique educational environment at OLA contributes to the capacity for flourishing in academics, and beyond that, in life, in a number of ways. First, the faculty of Odyssey create and sustain a supportive educational environment, which gives students the confidence to explore, dream, and develop their own ideas. Second, Odyssey students will be accustomed to 'thinking outside of the box.' Most important, Odyssey nurtures creativity. Students are encouraged to be open-minded, yet intellectually humble. They are encouraged to be rigorous and to persevere in learning, yet to love learning and to be creative in the course of pursuing their dreams.

Dr. Nancy Snow — Director of the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing at the University of Oklahoma

Mentoring is at the heart of everything we do at Odyssey Leadership Academy.

The moral center of OLA revolves around the idea that, in order to educate fully flourishing human beings, there must be people who speak life into one another in a caring community. 

We take our cue from the great philosophical and religious communities who devoted themselves to caring for one another in wisdom, truth, and love over long periods of time, including Plato's Academy, Aristotle's Lyceum, and the early Judeo-Christian communities who practiced charity, hospitality, and sacrificial living.

At Odyssey Leadership Academy, mentoring happens in all spaces: eating together around the lunch table, playing ultimate frisbee at the park, sipping cappuccinos in coffee shops, helping each other rappel down a mountain, sitting around a campfire at 13,000 feet, teaching guitar... yes, everywhere!

Our Mentors walk with a small number of students from the student's first day at OLA to their last.

Each Mentor is responsible for mentoring students of the same gender, beginning with the student's first year. As the student moves up, so does the Mentor. A Mentor is not just a teacher. He or she is helping to shape Odyssey Expeditions, leading Odyssey Explorations, advising students on course selection, getting to know the needs of each student's family, helping out with college advising, and being there to offer encouragement and support throughout the student's journey.

We also believe in fostering a spirit of mentorship in our students by asking older students to mentor younger students both one-on-one and in small groups.