In this episode, soon to be graduate Renee Folsom and second-semester student Harrison Tuttle reveal the grit behind non-traditional education, showing how adult learners evolve into architects of community change. Renee shares her twenty-year journey from the restaurant industry to the classroom, detailing the delicate balance of three jobs and motherhood while pivoting toward a Master’s in Educational Leadership. The duo explores the "Unbound" culture, where their student cohort acts as a chosen family—offering radical support through personal tragedies and sharing dinners with the college president. From the transformative lessons of a "Reframing Failure" course to Harrison hiring a classmate for his Providence warming center initiative, this conversation illustrates how academic growth fuels immediate social impact. Ultimately, as Renee prepares to graduate alongside her brother, the episode serves as a powerful testament to reclaiming identity and leadership potential at any age and any stage.
We CU Stories Unbound
Episode 12 “Unbound Journey”
Renee Folsom and Harrison Tuttle
In this episode, soon to be graduate Renee Folsom and second-semester student Harrison Tuttle reveal the grit behind non-traditional education, showing how adult learners evolve into architects of community change. Renee shares her twenty-year journey from the restaurant industry to the classroom, detailing the delicate balance of three jobs and motherhood while pivoting toward a Master’s in Educational Leadership. The duo explores the "Unbound" culture, where their student cohort acts as a chosen family—offering radical support through personal tragedies and sharing dinners with the college president. From the transformative lessons of a "Reframing Failure" course to Harrison hiring a classmate for his Providence warming center initiative, this conversation illustrates how academic growth fuels immediate social impact. Ultimately, as Renee prepares to graduate alongside her brother, the episode serves as a powerful testament to reclaiming identity and leadership potential at any age and any stage.
Intro (00:12):
Welcome to the We CU Unbound Stories, the College Unbound Podcast, where we dive deep into the transformative work of our community, transforming self communities, justice and education. We're here to break down barriers and build up new possibilities. This is a platform for learning, a platform for healing, a platform for belonging and connection. So tune in and join us on this journey of empowerment.
Renee Folsom (00:52):
Welcome back to we CU Stories Unbound. My name is Renee Folsom, and I am a current CU student. And I am about to graduate in a few weeks in the final stretch here. And I'm gonna talk a little bit about my journey coming to CU and through cu.
Harrison Tuttle (01:12):
And my name is Harrison Tuttle. I'm a second semester student at College Unbound. I am a part of the TA to BA program pathway programs for teachers assistants to become full-time teachers in the classroom.
Renee Folsom (01:28):
And this episode is Unbound Journey. So,
Harrison Tuttle (01:30):
With that being said, let's get started with the conversation. So, Renee, tell, tell me a little bit about why you joined College Unbound and were there certain individuals that recommended the college to you, or did you find this by yourself?
Renee Folsom (01:46):
Yeah, so I was I went to traditional, like CCRI after high school, which was 20 years ago. And then I went to Rhode Island College for a little bit. I always knew I wanted to be a teacher. But then life happens, you know, I was more of a worker, always worked a couple jobs, just what we always were taught to do growing up, just work, work, work. But education was also taught and instilled in us as well. I just wasn't fully committed to the school process. And then I had my daughter, so after I had my daughter, I was like, I can't always just work in the restaurants. Let me see if there's like a teaching assistant course. So I did that first to make sure that I really, this was something that I wanted to do. So I took this teaching assistant course, the test, the parapro test, and then I applied and I started working for CR and Public Schools.
Renee Folsom (02:42):
So at CR and Public Schools, I was like, you know what? I really feel like I can have my own classroom. So let me find a program for a teacher, like a TA to BA program that's not gonna take me four years, and that's not going to take you down that traditional path. So when I was Googling things, college Unbound kept coming up College Unbound. So I kept looking at it. I'm like, oh, I'd never heard of College Unbound. What's College Unbound? So I entered my information and I received a phone call from Deborah John Felix, and it was a, probably a 45 minute to an hour phone call. And I thought she, I knew her so well, all right. And she didn't try to sell me on the school. She just literally told me what it was, how it was, you know, geared towards the adult learner X, Y, and Z. And she really enrolled me and I started right away in that next, that next semester.
Harrison Tuttle (03:38):
Tell me a little bit about your experience, you know, taking your first couple of classes compared to now. How is, how is your expectation met with your actual experience?
Renee Folsom (03:51):
Right. So I remember the first time walking into see you on a Tuesday to, you know, join the cohort. And now I'm so grateful. You are proud, you're part of and I was so nervous 'cause there's all these people, right? There were so many people there. And you know, you had to get a name tag and then everyone wants to talk to you. And then I, I walked right over and I found Courtney, which was the best thing ever. And I, I felt a, a sigh of relief. So after that first night I left, I didn't even leave that parking lot. And I remember texting her and saying, this is going to be the best thing ever. And the reason why I say that is because it just, just felt so right, not traditional and not, not traditional, just where we belong to be at that time, or I felt I belonged to be at that time.
Renee Folsom (04:33):
And everybody was so welcoming and so friendly. And then as the classes started, you know, you get a little nervous 'cause you're like, oh, some of these, I never, you know, I, I don't know. But they were fine. And I, I felt, in my experience, I really liked doing asynchronous just because I am so busy with three other jobs that the asynchronous was easier for me. You know, but the only downfall to that is that you didn't get to know other people. So I did, I did put a mixed variety in there. So you did get to know a, a lot of other people. I think compared to now, I'm, I'm definitely way more confident in my courses. I never wanted to talk. I, I, I always like to talk, but I never wanted to fully talk or feel fully comfortable doing that now.
Renee Folsom (05:14):
I wouldn't mind standing up on a Tuesday night and talking in front of everybody, you know, going back to school too later in life. Like you, you're nervous, right? And so gaining, I think I gained a lot of confidence throughout the classes. And then two, you know, you wanna be a teacher, so you need to be able to be confident and stand in front of your students or whoever you're teaching in front of and have that confidence and not be so nervous. So I, I think a lot of that helped too in our cohort, you know, doing different projects. Definitely doing the exhibitions from the first one to the last one was totally different from me not even developing the project. Just totally different confidence wise. Totally different presenter, I think, anyways. So yeah, gaining that, just the, that practice and having Courtney have us teach different lessons, like we are the teacher and everybody else. As a students, that was extremely helpful as well.
Harrison Tuttle (06:10):
Some students may be intimidated by the fact that there is a in-person class once a week through a cohort. Can you talk about the benefits of why having a cohort is important at College Unbound during your journey?
Renee Folsom (06:28):
Yeah, so having the cohort was probably the best thing at cu. You all become family, you get to know everybody's kind of on the same page. You might not all be doing the same exact thing or going, you know, not everyone's gonna be a teacher, but I'm, I'm pretty sure we all are in our cohort. So it's nice to gain knowledge from everybody, you know, what, what their classrooms are like or what they wanna do. And you help each other in this journey, right? Especially with these big tens where we definitely helped each other with those, which is you know, a difficult thing to see. I think we don't all see our strengths or our weaknesses and to, for each other, it's easiest to remind each other that, you know, we can do this and we're gonna do it together. And then even though two of us are graduating personally, I'm gonna come back to make sure that everybody else graduates. Right?
Harrison Tuttle (07:22):
That's what they say. They say that once you become a part of College Unbound, you start drinking the Kool-Aid. Tell me a little bit about that. Kool-Aid. College Unbound,
Renee Folsom (07:33):
Renee Folsom (08:01):
Mm-Hmm
Renee Folsom (08:03):
Harrison Tuttle (08:35):
Mm-Hmm
Renee Folsom (08:49):
Right? That's obviously a difficult decision, especially when you have a family or you have children to look after. I mean, there's different, definitely different resources, you know. There's grants, which I was able to get quite a few of those. And then obviously there is a student loan, you know? But it's worth it, right? It, you know, in order to grow and you wanna do something different, you don't wanna be stuck in the same place. And I know for me, I don't wanna work three jobs forever,
Renee Folsom (09:44):
Great, great. What would you say is your most fond memory of College Unbound so far?
Renee Folsom (09:53):
Oh, yeah. I definitely have a lot of fond memories. I, I think the coolest thing is, is the cohort, to be honest with you. Like, I mean, we're all family in there, right? Even if, you know, some people came in later or whatever it may be, I feel like the first day you all, everybody connects, you know, when you came in after, after us and then Stephanie came in, and then William came in, everybody connects on some sort of level, right? And so I think that that Tuesday night is probably my best memory. Where else can I go and have my dinner and do my work and, and connect with other individuals and network and you know, the different activities that we do. And I, I think those are my favorite memories. And we all keep each other, we, we keep each other on our toes in our cohort, right? And, and two, it's nice because you could just decompress, talk about your day, talk about your week, you know, that's how we always start off. Or bring your child if you need to. Or in our cohort, we have a lot of cake, right? So so it just, it just up uplifts you and it, even if you're having a bad day, like, I look forward to my Tuesday night at cu.
Harrison Tuttle (10:57):
You brought up Courtney, your well, our cohort lab faculty. Talk about ways in which Courtney has helped and your College Unbound process. Yeah.
Renee Folsom (11:10):
Yeah. Courtney is she's as real as they come, right? She's a leader and she meets you where you are. And I think that's most important. She's not above us. She's not, you know, she, she, she was a CU student, and she knows exactly what it's like. And so her coming back and, and, and teaching and being our mentor to us, and, and helping us however we can, I think that's, that's the best thing for us. And, you know, she, she's raw and she's real, and her days can be exhausting. And, you know, we all share that with each other. And you don't get that anywhere. She, you know, we check, she checks in on you. She'll text me at, well, not really seven in the morning. She doesn't like that. But I'll text her at seven in the morning.
Renee Folsom (11:57):
She makes sure that you're doing okay, right? And I, I think that's probably the coolest part. And I told her, I'm not going away, so this is it. But it's just really cool. And she's also like, driven me to wanna go get my master's after this. And it'll be in educational leadership. And she taught, you, taught me how, how to be an effective leader. And I, I think that's probably the coolest, the coolest part. I mean, you learn it in your every day at school. I'm around leaders, you know, different teachers, my principal, et cetera, and you learn from those people, but I just see you as just so special. It's just a different way of, of learning and connecting.
Did you ever imagine yourself getting a master's going into
Renee Folsom (12:39):
No,
Harrison Tuttle (12:40):
Renee Folsom (12:43):
No. Yeah, I'm definitely a little nervous, but I said, you know what? I did this journey and I did this journey. Sometimes ha sometimes it was tough. Five classes, three jobs, a 7-year-old. It wasn't, it wasn't easy. But I think that you learn, you can do anything at this point, right? Mm-Hmm. I'm 40, I'm getting my bachelor's. Who cares how old you are? You know, at first I was like, oh, I wish I did this sooner, but it's where you're, you're meant to be at this time. And then I said, I was looking into a master's program, and I'm like, I'm gonna do this right away after CU because, you know, it's hard when you take a break. And I, I have that mindset of I'm gonna get this done and this is what I wanna do. And I know that I'm meant to be more than just the classroom teacher for me inside.
Renee Folsom (13:23):
I, I feel it, I know it. I wanna be, you know, a leader in the education realm at some, some, some level. Maybe not necessarily a principal, but in some level. So it is scary, but it's exciting because I know I've made it this far to get the bachelor's right, where six weeks out. And so I know the masters will just, it, it sounds crazy. But it'll come fast. Harrison, I know that you do a lot of work in the community which I love. 'cause You know, I love giving back to my community as well. So do you think that your time here at CU getting this organization leadership and change degree will help you with doing your work in the community?
Harrison Tuttle (14:06):
Yeah, I think, I think absolutely. At first I wasn't sure how to explain it to people when they asked me what I was getting my degree in. And what I tell them now upon taking at least two semesters of College Unbound, is that the curriculum is extremely reflective in its work. And I think that that's important for leadership and change because the change has to come inside everybody first. In order to build a connection, build relationships, and build trust with people in your community to be viewed as a leader in union organizing, there's a definition of what a leader is. It's anybody that someone would, is willing to follow. And I think with a lot of different things going around in the world today, it's important that we keep in mind those definitions but also understand that responsibility that we have coming from College Unbound.
Harrison Tuttle (15:20):
And, and talking about the experiences in which we've had that will propel us into social mobility, financial mobility and to go out in our community and, and, and do outreach and say, this is, this is an opportunity where you don't have to go to URI or Rhode Island College to get your degree. You can, you can take this alternative pathway and, and still be respected in the community, respected by employers throughout the state because you're doing the work in which moves people both emotionally, but also in terms of the experience that you, that you've reflected on to, to become a better person.
Renee Folsom (16:10):
Yeah, I agree with you on that. I mean, I, I love your leadership too, and I love what you do in the community, and it's so nice to see that, and especially in times like this, right? We need people like you and I in this, in the community and in this world. And I think CU brings all that together, right? That was, that was brings me to the night where we all we had to introduce ourself to five people and ask about their project and network that way. And I, you know, I made some connections that I'd never thought, oh, my adaptive dance projects gonna bring me to this. You know, I, I thought it was just, you know, some simple thing here. And now it's, it's growing and it's grown, and it's gonna continue to grow. And, and that's super cool. Like, where can you go and do that? Right? You can't, you can't just start telling somebody your idea and they, they all accept it and they all appreciate it, and then it blends with their project, right? And that, that, that's super cool. That was really cool to do.
Harrison Tuttle (17:07):
Another example of, of that networking night was there was a College Unbound student who goes into a different cohort on Tuesday nights. And he came up to me and he said, Hey, you know, I've heard about Operation No One Dies, which is a warming center initiative in Providence that houses folks who are homeless. And he said, Hey, you know, this is what I do, you know, for work, and I was wondering if, you know, I could be a part of it. And I ended up hiring him. So from that night, you know, came, you know, employment came an opportunity to work 36 consecutive hours with six other individuals for three days and a snowstorm. And so, you know, what Collagen Bound has provided is not just opportunities academically, but also opportunities professionally within the network that we have and, and the opportunities that we get to interact with each other.
Renee Folsom (18:18):
Yeah. I think that's super cool. And I joined the book club this term, and I, I'm doing it for credit. You can do it for, you know, leisure or whatever you wanna do. And at first I was like, oh, the book club, I don't know about this, but it's, it is actually super cool because there's so many people on there and, and we, we connect obviously through the books that we're reading, and then we connect with the author, but then you, you tie everything in together. And we have, we have time to go into the breakout groups, which are, which are super helpful to me. And you know, you get to know a little bit about everybody and then connect the work that way, and also the authors too. You know, what school do you, where do you go where you can talk with the author, right, of each book and ask them questions and they're there to answer you.
Renee Folsom (19:03):
And so yeah, CU is just, is super cool. Or, or if you need a book, like I needed a book, you know, Jose brought me the book to my school, to my job so that I didn't have to miss out. I mean, these are just things that you don't get anywhere else. It's just not gonna happen. So everybody that I know is a TA or just wants to further the education, I'm like, all right, go to see you. Here's the phone number, here's the email, and just have a conversation. You don't even have to sign up, just have the conversation, right? So, you know, you know more about it. I feel like I'm the CU spokeswoman, but it's, it's just true. And it's what, what it means, you know? It
Harrison Tuttle (19:40):
Absolutely.
Renee Folsom (19:41):
I never thought exactly I wanted to be in a leadership role until I came to see you. I was like, okay, I'll be a classroom teacher, and right now I teach the most significant needs children. And so that, that's super hard. And I, I knew in my heart that I love these kiddos, but that's not the degree for me because it's just, it's just a lot. It's pressing, right? And do I wanna do that for the next 30 years? Probably not. And I love them, and they're cute, but it, it's, it's a lot, right? So I, I, and then in the meantime, I've been subbing in my building, so I get to see different classrooms and I'm like, okay, I can do this. I can be a teacher, I can run the show, but I just know it in my heart and you have to follow it, right? Then I, I'm meant for something more, but I still wanna be in that educational realm. So that's why I picked that leadership role. And now currently I'm in a leadership class with Jose, and it's fantastic. And it's kind of teaching me what kind of leader am I, what kind of leader do I wanna be and these are my ideas and these are my goals. And so it's cool to wrap it all together, tie it all in.
Harrison Tuttle (20:42):
Absolutely.
Renee Folsom (20:42):
Did you have a favorite class at CU that you took so far? Mm-Hmm
Harrison Tuttle (20:46):
Yes. My favorite class has been the human rights class that I just took. It went into multiple conversations around different global conflicts, and promoted a form of media literacy. So to be able to look at multiple sources of information on global conflict and to have a solid foundation, but also a class discussion around the different predetermining factors of poverty and war. And it was a very timely conversation, and it was something particularly I was interested in. And my professor, she was a part of a local bookstore that has different social justice books. And she actually sent me a couple of books that I've been reading. So that by far was my favorite class. If I could sit in that class every single semester, I would.
Renee Folsom (22:00):
Yeah, that's really cool. I my favorite was reframing failure. And at first I said, what is this? Right? What, how, what, what are we gonna do here? This sounds terrifying. And the first couple classes, but right away, my instructor, Chad, he's super cool. He made you feel comfortable, right? And talking about your failures, who wants to talk about their failures? Who wants to write a failure resume and, you know, do a failure interview, but these are real life things. And I think that was super cool. And I, yeah, I would sit in his class all day long and just listen to everybody because this, that's what CU is about, right? It's about your real life experiences. So having these courses that it may take, you know, it, it could become emotional and, and you're, you're reliving things that you didn't wanna live, but they brought you to this point for a reason. Right. So that, that's super cool that that was a great class. At first I was terrified. I'm like, oh, this can't be no
Harrison Tuttle (23:04):
I really like the fact that College Unbound selects the classes that, that you're to take in the beginning, in your first semester, just because through those experiences, it, it really provides you a foundation of what to expect and how you're gonna be supportive. Right. In many ways, it's almost like a college. The, the Kool-Aid is almost that, where it's, it's time to embrace your vulnerabilities and, and be able to realize that your support system is around you.
Renee Folsom (23:39):
Yeah. That, that, that is super cool. And then I remember walking in to see you one Tuesday, and they were like, Adam was like, do you mind going talking to the accreditation team? I'm like, me
Renee Folsom (24:33):
I'll be right there. Because that's what we do, right? We support each other. So I, I think that's, that's super cool too, you know, not, not just gonna let one of us walk and not the others. So.
Harrison Tuttle (24:43):
Yep. Yep.
Renee Folsom (24:45):
And I think in our cohort, it's so special. A lot of people have had a lot of, you know, personal things go on and we're there for each other, you know. Obviously our first night of cohort, I think it might have been your first night, we had a, we had a, yeah, we had something terrible happen and we went to that individual's home and we took care of her, and we took care of what we needed to do. And you, I don't know if you, you guys must have been like, what are they doing? But that's what we do for each other, and that she would've done that for us, and we were there to do that for her. And that, that's just, that just shows, you know, who, you know, your first few weeks of cohort, how, how does that, you know, that doesn't happen anywhere, right?
Renee Folsom (25:21):
You don't even know people in your classes. Like at Rick, I had a class with 120 people. I didn't know anybody. I didn't even know the teacher probably didn't even know who I was. Right? You're just a person to them, you're just a number. And that's not it at cu I'm excited for what's to come next. And I'm, I'm excited for my graduation speech, which I'll cry, but I'll, I'll be cool to have my daughter there. And I tell her I do this for her when I'm at class, five nights a week,
Harrison Tuttle (25:56):
Yeah, absolutely. We, we have to have something that's documented so that we can always refer to our, our time.
Renee Folsom (26:06):
I know. I think that's super cool too. And especially doing these big tens and then looking back and using some of the evidence for, for you prior courses, different things that people may have said, a teacher may have said about you, and you're reading back and you're reflecting, and it's super cool to see your, your journey and your path and all of our paths and, and, and our growth. It's, it's just crazy. I was so nervous that first night I remember
Harrison Tuttle (26:34):
Yeah.
Renee Folsom (26:35):
Yep. Yeah, I'm excited. Take my photos tonight. That'll be real. That'll make it feel real. Put the capping the gown on.
Harrison Tuttle (26:42):
You gotta send it to the, the rest of the class when, when you get, when you're done.
Renee Folsom (26:46):
Yeah, for sure. Yep. And they said I could bring her and Sophia and she could take a photo with me too, so I think that's cool.
Harrison Tuttle (26:54):
Good. Renee, what are you gonna carry away from this experience? When you finally graduate and it's all done, what are you gonna go away most proud of?
Renee Folsom (27:07):
Yeah. I'm gonna leave with, besides the memories and the friendships that aren't, are not gonna go anywhere I'm just more proud of myself. I, there was days that I was like, oh, I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't work all these jobs. And some of the jobs are, you know, once full-time, two are part-time and they're back to back most times. And then doing school, I'm like, how am I gonna do this? There was a few days where I was like, oh, I can't, I'm just gonna go back to work. But no you, you push through. I think that's the biggest thing is just pushing through or, or calling one of your cohort members, calling one of your, anybody. I called Deborah a few times, I'm like, she's like, you, nope, you can do it. Just take a minute, take a breath, do, you know, do what you have to do and you're gonna get there.
Renee Folsom (27:50):
So I think I'm most proud of myself, honestly. The days at my day job are very difficult, very straining, very tiring. And to come home and do two classes till 9 30, 10 o'clock at night and then maybe do an assignment and, you know, have dinner and all the things and everything else, and take a moment for yourself. So yeah, I think I'm most proud of myself and gonna give myself the biggest applause on this. And the other cool thing, one other cool fact is that my brother's graduating with me and he came in, came in hot, and came in fast and got done quick. He came in with a lot of credits and he came in with you know, a ton of life experience and so I think that would be a cool, super cool moment for the two of us too. Walk the stage together at the same time. I think that's super cool and make our parents proud. And it doesn't matter when we did it, but we got it done.