SSP offers adults a free college credit

Posted 1:21 p.m. Friday , Sept. 18 , 2026

SSP offers adults a free college credit

As a 20-something, Holly Larsen wanted to change the world.

But knowing she wanted to make a difference was easier than knowing exactly how to do it.

Now, as the new director of UW-La Crosse's Self Sufficiency Program (SSP), Larsen has found an outlet for that ambition.

"I liked that this position was a lot about helping the community and making an impact," she says. "As a 20-something you think, 'I want to change the world,' but it's left at that. You don't know how and in what ways. It is exciting to have an outlet - not for changing the whole world, but changing it for some."

That opportunity to make a difference comes through SSP, a free pre-college program that helps adults explore their dreams of higher education and develop the skills and confidence to make those dreams a reality. Over eight weeks, participants explore academic and career interests and practice college-level skills in a supportive setting.

"Everyone wants to make a better life for themselves. SSP is such a good place to start doing that," says Larsen. "We give you tools and help you grow."

New opportunity: earn one college credit for free

This spring, SSP is offering participants the opportunity to earn one college credit for free by participating in the program - a change Larsen hopes will make the program even more appealing while giving participants a chance to take an early step toward a college degree.

By enrolling as UWL students, SSP participants also gain access to student resources that were previously unavailable to them, including bus passes and UWL Student Support Services.

The program is open to adults who are considering college, whether they plan to attend UWL or another institution.

Larsen has been taking that message into the community, attending events such as the Ho-Chunk Family Healing Camp and back-to-school events to talk with prospective participants about SSP and the new college-credit opportunity.

She's been encouraged by the response.

"I'm working to change people's ideas of how attainable higher ed is, and I like being able to tell people that there is something to support them," she says.

Turning education into action

Larsen grew up in Sparta and earned a bachelor's degree from St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, before earning a master's degree from the University of Brighton in England.

Her education helped shape her understanding of systems of inequality and her desire to work toward greater access and opportunity.

"It comes down to knowing that the world is systemically set up against certain people - the poor, people of color, anyone who is a gender minority," Larsen says. "The world is not set up for people like that, and that is unfortunate, to say the least."

She keeps a quote with her that reflects her approach to these issues: "Educated women have a right and responsibility to lead and influence for a more just society."

During college, Larsen started becoming involved in that work. For instance, she worked for U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum to speak out against school shootings and gun safety laws, and the organization Support Women. Period. to organize menstrual hygiene product drives for those who could not afford or have access to these sanitary products.

"I have been privileged to learn about these things through my education," she says. "And now that I know about it - even thought I didn't have to specifically experience it - how do I help no one experience it again?"

Larsen is glad she can now put her years of studying systems of inequality and injustice to work in a role focused on helping others pursue higher education.

"This role is all about taking action - preparing people who want to make a change in their life and to do it in a way that helps them be educated and prepared."

See the impact of SSP

The impact of SSP will be highlighted at the annual Locally Grown Scholarship Breakfast. This year's speaker is Heidi Svee, a former SSP participant who is now director of development and strategic initiatives at New Horizons, who will present "Graduating from grit to grace: a single mother's real-world masterclass."

The SSP Locally Grown Scholarship Breakfast will be held from 7:30-9 a.m. Friday, Oct. 9, in The Bluffs Ballroom in the Student Union. Please RSVP by Sept. 25 on the SSP webpage.

Free parking is available on levels 1-3 of the UWL Parking Ramp, 1623 Farwell St., La Crosse.

What is SSP?

• A free pre-college program for adults
• No cost to attend
• On-site childcare
• Eight-week evening schedule, held Mondays
• Sessions offered every fall and spring
• Free college credit for completing the course

SSP applicants:

• Must have a high school diploma, GED or HSED
• May have some college experience
• May have an associate degree
• Must not have a four-year degree

Apply online at uwlax.edu/ssp

More information: Contact SSP Director Holly Larsen at [email protected] or 608.785.8733.