October 2006
A young mother of a two year old daughter, Cassiopeia came to Open Meadow in January 2006 two credits short of graduation. She had attended a public high school through the beginning of her senior year when she became pregnant and moved to California with the father of her baby. Although she had planned to finish high school, she didn’t know where to enroll and needed to work. “I was working for minimum wage and after awhile realized that I would never get anywhere that way,” said Cassiopeia.

Fortunately, she was able to move back in with her mother in Portland. Her younger brother had attended Open Meadow and suggested that Cassiopeia apply to Open Meadow’s CRUE high school program. During her admissions interview a teacher quickly established rapport; it only got better from there. “Open Meadow is the best school I have ever attended,” exclaimed Cassiopeia.

Needing two credits to graduate, she joined CRUE’s natural resources crew and participated in Open Meadow’s City Corps program where she and a group of peers worked with the City of Portland Water Bureau to involve youth in water conservation. She has high praise for Open Meadow staff. “Classes are smaller. Teachers are down to earth and willing to help; they don’t leave you alone to mess up or get behind and are always offering help from coming in early, to staying after class, to helping with things like clothing and bus tickets,” stated Cassiopeia. “The very best thing about Open Meadow is the relationships. I wish I had discovered Open Meadow sooner; things might have been very different for me.”

But, now her life is back on track. She is working at Gap and completing Open Meadow’s two trimester transition program. Soon she will enroll in her first college class. Shocked that she will really be attending college, Cassiopeia remarked, “They transformed me as far as college goes. The transition program inspired me to want more for myself and my daughter. They helped me apply for college and offered to pay tuition, fees, and books for my first class.” Through Open Meadow, she was awarded the Hawley Family Scholarship and plans to attend Mt. Hood Community College to study sign language and criminal justice. “I want to help keep kids out of trouble,” she said.

Cassiopeia believes that there are many reasons for the community to support Open Meadow. She emphasized, “There are so many students out there not doing well in school who don’t have parents to help them. Students seek out Open Meadow to get the attention and help they have never had. Once they get it, they will give back.”