Three weeks ago, I wrote about the arrival of our summer interns and mentioned how one of them was planning to interview Simone about her part in a revamped scholarship program aimed at honoring the successes of students at Portland's alternative high schools -- a group often overlooked in the hoopla associated with Ivy League-bound valedictorians who, for the most part, have come from pretty stable situations.
So today, upon our return from a week-long vacation, it was a delight to see the article written by intern Carolina Hidalgo that told a different story -- a need-based scholarship program that considers leadership skills and demonstrated potential in students who've overcome hardships most of their peers can only imagine.
It was nice to see Simone quoted in the story, as she works with some of the students who won the scholarships from the nonprofit E2 Foundation.
But the larger point, I'm sure Simone would agree, was describing the obstacles of someone like Egbevado Ananouko, (above, far left), an immigrant from the West African nation of Togo. He survived three years in a refugee camp in neighboring Belin, before coming to the United States at age 11, knowing no English and little of his new country and responding to teasing with violence.
This week, he graduated from Open Meadow High School, one of a dozen graduating seniors who won the modest scholarships.
Read the story here: "Alternative high school grads head to college with scholarship help and a chance at their dreams"
Photograph by Benjamin Brink, The Oregonian
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