Women of Moreau Center foster relationships with RHS students
By Jessie Hethcoat
On the Friday morning before spring break, the female student population of Roosevelt High School followed the yellow brick road to the The Commons, which was, for this day, also known as Oz.
Female Moreau Center volunteers and staff gathered together to put on a Wizard of Oz-themed brunch for the young women of Roosevelt, weaving in the themes of the film to empower the students.
Volunteers spent Thursday night blowing up balloons and creating posters in order to make a rainbow walkway. Some students even dressed up as Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow and the lion.
Sophomore Rosie Baber, who works at Roosevelt for her work-study job, was the student coordinator for the event. The event is an annual tradition for the Roosevelt female students. While the female students were at UP, the male students assembled at Concordia University.
"The goal was for an uplifting day for all Roosevelt women by having inspirational women speakers," Baber said.
Once students arrived, they were given a breakfast by Bon Appétit. Beginning the morning was a speech from sophomore Marshawna Williams, who was Portland's "Queen of Rosaria" in 2008.
Williams graduated from Cleveland high school in Southeast Portland in 2008. Like the students of Roosevelt, she is a Portland native.
"I wanted to give encouragement and say that the sky is the limit," Williams said. "I also wanted to show how strong someone can be, no matter where they're from.
Roosevelt had eleven "Queen of Rosaria" candidates, and some were introducers for the various speakers of the morning. When the women went back to the high school, the school selected one candidate to represent Roosevelt in the Rose Festival parade.
"It's just really cool to see UP connect with the community around us, especially the school down the street," Williams said.
Laura Goble, director of the Moreau Center, was also in charge of the event. Goble is one of the main facilitators in the developing relationship between UP and Roosevelt High School.
According to Goble, Roosevelt has a small percentage of students who go to four-year colleges after graduation. By holding events like the Young Women's Assembly on college campuses, administrators can help the students become more familiar with the college experience.
"Even though the students live near UP, many of them have never been on campus," Goble said. "This event helps break down that wall."
While planning the event, the Moreau Center decided to do a small group activity that would allow UP students to interact with the Roosevelt students directly. For the activity, UP students asked the young women what social issues they were concerned about. Though they were not sure of what to expect, the small group activity was a success.
"It was amazing to see how the room changed after the small group activity," Goble said. "Especially when the young women said that they would trust college students over faculty members to talk to about issues like teen pregnancy."
Several Roosevelt young women at the event were currently pregnant.
The event also included more speakers, like UP alum Sarah Mensah, the vice president of marketing for the Portland Trailblazers and Shannon LaMonica and Theresa Rounds from Oregon Zoo, who brought wild animals to show the young women.
Many of the UP women that volunteered at the event said they left feeling empowered. Sophomore Kelsey Reavis was one of those volunteers. Reavis dressed as the cowardly lion for the event and spent the morning with whiskers painted on her face.
"I thought it was a wonderful opportunity for women of UP and women of Roosevelt to encourage and empower each other," Reavis said.
To get involved with the Moreau Center, visit their Web page under Campus Life on the UP website, talk with a Social Justice Coordinator or stop by their office in St. Mary's student center.
