School co-founder, teacher wins scholarship

Erica Perez:

Just before Owen started ninth grade in Texas, she testified against her father, sending him to prison after years of sexual abuse.

She took a risk and wrote that story for an assignment in ninth-grade English class. But her teacher gave her an "F," telling her not to talk about it.

"Ironically, I ended up teaching ninth-grade English," Owen said. "I wanted to be different as a teacher. I wanted to be someone that students could talk to."

Owen went on to do just that, co-founding a school in Milwaukee as a haven for bullied and harassed students. And now, she has won a national scholarship for her efforts, paving the way for her to help others form similar schools across the country.

Owen, who helped start The Alliance School on W. Galena St. in 2005, is one of 38 undergraduate and graduate students in the nation to win scholarships this year from the Point Foundation. The Los Angeles-based non-profit has honored outstanding lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students for six years.

While the majority of the students who attend The Alliance School are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender, the campus serves any student who struggled in the traditional high school environment because of harassment, intimidation or abuse.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at June 25, 2007 6:42 AM
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