On the same day that student athletes across the country made headlines by signing letters of intent to secure college athletic scholarships, 63 students in five cities across the Northwest quietly gathered with their families to sign commitments for full scholarships of their own. 17 of these students are from Oregon. Selected through a rigorous three-month competition from among nearly 1,000 applicants, these diverse student leaders were chosen, not for their athletic prowess, but for their distinctive leadership, academic potential, and commitment to making a difference in their communities.

The Act Six Leadership and Scholarship Initiative announced today that 63 emerging urban and community leaders across the Puget Sound region, Portland, Spokane and the Yakima Valley will receive full-tuition, full-need scholarships to George Fox University, Warner Pacific College, Whitworth University, Pacific Lutheran University, Northwest University, Trinity Lutheran College, Gonzaga University and Heritage University. Collectively, the awards will provide more than $8 million in financial aid over four years.

The 17 newest Oregon Act Six scholars will be recognized in a community celebration on Monday, Feb. 6, at 6:30 p.m. at Life Change Christian Center. They join over 60 graduated and currently enrolled Oregon Act Six scholars.

Launched in 2002, Act Six seeks to develop urban and community leaders to be agents of transformation on campus and in their home communities. Since the program’s inception, 37 cohorts of ethnically diverse and mostly first-generation, low-income Act Six scholars from urban Tacoma, Seattle, Portland, Spokane, and the Yakima Valley have enrolled at eight Northwest colleges and universities.

Act Six develops leaders through a simple, but powerful, four-step strategy:
• Recruit and select diverse, multicultural cadres of the Northwest’s most promising emerging urban and community leaders.
• Train and prepare these groups of students in the year prior to college, equipping them to support each other, succeed academically, and grow as service-minded leaders and agents of transformation.
• Send and fund the teams together to select private, liberal arts colleges in the Northwest on four year, full-tuition, full-need scholarships.
• Support and inspire by providing strong campus support and ongoing leadership development to nurture these young people as they find their vocation and grow into the next generation of community leaders.

To date, 90 percent of the 256 scholars who have started college have graduated or are still enrolled – reflecting graduation and retention rates that far exceed national averages. Two Act Six scholars have been elected as student-body president and scholars have been involved in numerous other leadership roles on campus and in the community. Nearly 85 percent of Act Six alumni have returned to work and serve in their home communities, and 22 percent are pursuing or have earned graduate degrees.

“Act Six is a blessing. Not only do I have the opportunity to pursue a degree in higher education, but now I have the support and the resources to make my dreams come true,” says Michaela Brown, a freshmen scholar with the second cadre of Act Six at Gonzaga University. “Act Six is so much greater than me, that at times it’s hard to wrap my head around the vision, but all I know is that Act Six has changed my life and I can’t wait to start giving back by living the mission.”

Pamela Ryan, director of Act Six in Oregon adds, “Our scholars are distinguishing themselves as leaders and agents of change on campus, and they are investing wisely in their future through internships in businesses, non-profits, and the community. They each have a vision to transform the community they call home. And they view this educational opportunity as a primary key to unlock the potential in themselves. We believe this new generation of leaders will help launch the dreams of students and communities that have historically missed out on the opportunities afforded by higher education.”

Following is a list of this year’s Act Six Oregon recipients:

George Fox University (Cadre Six)
Joshua Cha, Benson Polytech High School
Janet Dan, Parkrose High School
Oscar Gomez, Newberg Senior High School
Asia Mayo, Roosevelt High School
Austin O’Neal, David Douglas High School
Jessica Rivera, David Douglas High School
Nancy Vazquez, Forest Grove High School

Warner Pacific College (Cadre Three)
Reggie Chipen, Madison High School
Arianna Cruz-Sellu, De La Salle North Catholic High School
Alejandra Garcia, Sam Barlow High School
Thalia Garcia Aguilar, Century High School
Robel Haile, Jefferson High School
Milo Lopez, Forest Grove High School
Justine Moore, Roosevelt High School
Jessie Osuna-Mondragon, De La Salle North Catholic High School
Ricardo Ruiz, Reynolds High School
Jordan Shellmire, U.S. Grant High School

Following next week’s celebration, scholars begin an intensive seven-month training program that involves weekly meetings with Act Six staff, retreats and campus visits.

Learn more about Act Six online at www.actsix.org.

Contacts:

Pamela Ryan, Act Six Portland site director, Portland Leadership Foundation,
(503) 869-4714 or pamela.ryan@portlandleadership.org

Joel Perez, dean of transitions and inclusion, George Fox University, (503) 554-2305 or jperez@georgefox.edu

Shannon Mackey, executive director of enrollment, Warner Pacific College,
(503) 517.1024 or smackey@warnerpacific.edu

My favorite Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” is based on a poem penned by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day in 1864. As he yearned for the safety of his son—who was fighting in the Civil War—Longfellow wrestled with a duality of emotion. The poem speaks of both deep despair and deep hope simultaneously. Longfellow writes:

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on Earth,” I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on Earth, good will to men

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead nor does He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on Earth, good will to men!

It is impossible to work in our city’s underrepresented communities and not be overwhelmed with a similar sense of duality. On the heels of despair—God is not dead nor does he sleep.

Portland Leadership Foundation is working tirelessly to develop new voices in leadership for the future of our city. As we head into 2012, we are prepared to serve in new and creative ways. We continue to grow Act Six as we prepare to launch a new Non-profit Fellows Initiative underneath our Center for Communities. As we select this first cohort of Fellows, we will be embedding them in urban non-profits with the objective of developing them as the future leaders for the city. Each Fellow will also receive weekly spiritual direction and leadership coaching from a member of our Center for Communities team. After winning a grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to launch this work, the Young Family Foundation (YFF) has recently made the decision to bless us in partnership in two significant ways:

1. YFF has given us their Hillside House to use for our Fellows to live together. This gift came unexpected and has blessed the PLF team beyond words!
2. YFF has given Portland Leadership Foundation a $20,000 year-end matching gift.

Please consider investing in our work knowing that each gift, up to $20,000, will be directly matched. As we celebrate Christ’s birth with you this holiday season, the Portland Leadership Foundation team is grateful for your partnership. The Lord is on the move in our city. We pray for “peace on Earth, good will to men!”

In Him,

Ben

We’re proud to announce that Portland Leadership Foundation has been awarded a “Vision and Call” grant from the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust to build a Non-Profit Fellows Initiative.

Our goal will be to provide a “gap year” apprenticeship program to identify and invest in future leaders for the non-profit sector.

More to come on this soon!

In partnership with Mission Increase Foundation, the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, and the Luis Palau Association, Portland Leadership Foundation is excited to host a luncheon for the faith-based non-profit community on October 20th. With the objectives of saying “thank you” and discussing how collaboration will impact our work in the future, we are very much looking forward to this unique gathering. Join us!

Date: October 20, 2011
Location: The Hilton Hotel
921 Southwest 6th Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
Time: Noon-1:30pm

Please RSVP by emailing rsvp@palau.org.