Open Meadow High School student Audrianna Rodriguez addressed the City Club of Portland’s Friday Forum last week. Held at PSU as part of the Portland Action Summit: Leadership for the Next Generation, Audrianna joined a panel of youth leaders in discussing her experiences with civic engagement.  During her speech, Audrianna spoke passionately about her involvement with the Oregon Community Foundation’s Community 101 , a leadership class that teaches young people about grantmaking.

Through the generosity of the Northwest Health Foundation, Audrianna and several other OMHS students had the opportunity to grant $5,000 to local nonprofits that are working to serve women and children affected by domestic violence. Throughout the class, she sought out ways to take on leadership roles and presented a two hour workshop to her peers on the subject. In choosing the issue to fund, Audrianna and the rest of her class did hands on research by volunteering in multiple local organizations to understand directly how their contributions would impact those served.

Audrianna is looking forward to finding more ways to give back to her community. We are so proud of her and know that our community will benefit from her leadership. Way to go Audrianna!