2014 Beat The Odds Recipients
Isaiah Grafe
was born into a life of silence and was diagnosed as profoundly deaf due to auditory neuropathy at the age of 13 months. His parents did not accept this life for their son, and after many visits to doctors across the country and numerous tests, Mayo Clinic agreed to perform a cochlear implant surgery. At 3½, Isaiah was given the gift of hearing. Isaiah also has apraxia and speech has been difficult. This led to his being bullied in middle school. The bullying was severe enough that he was physically attacked and ended up in the hospital with a concussion and multiple abrasions. He had to have surgery to replace the cochlear implant. After the incident with bullying, Isaiah switched schools, and in the new school he became a more confident and outgoing person. In Isaiah’s words, “I believe that it is important to get involved, be a leader, and give back to both my school and community.” Subsequently, Isaiah became Editor of the Yearbook, President of Key Club, Vice President of Student Council, and an Executive Board member of the National Honor Society. He was one of 40 students selected to attend the AG Bell L.O.F.T., a ten-day program to develop skills in leadership, teamwork, understanding group dynamics, communication, and public speaking. His volunteer activities included Bingo at the Senior Center, Senior Citizen’s Chore Day, Meals on Wheels, Food for Kidz, Cancer fundraisers, Highway Garbage Pick-up, Salvation Army Red Kettle Bell Ringing, Rose Sales, and the annual Halloween Party for the local children. Isaiah describes his challenges in a quote from Jacob M. Braude:
“Life is a grindstone; whether it grinds you down or polishes you up depends on what you are made of.” – Jacob M. Braude
Angalee Morrow
grew up in a family that struggled to stay together. Her father died when she was four and her mother went into a depression, so Angalee and her siblings were raised by a grandmother until she was ten. Her mother re-married and life seemed better until her grandmother died and the family lost their home. Another new school brought hopes of a new beginning, and for a time, school, friends, and life were better. Just as life seemed to be on track, her parents gave up being sober for meth. Again everything was lost: house, friends, family. Shortly after this her older siblings moved away, which left Angalee alone with her mother and stepfather. A new living situation found her on the top of a mountain with no running water or electricity, and her mother and stepfather were “scrapping” metals to get money for drugs. Shortly after this, her stepfather was arrested, and her brother drove to Nevada and moved Angalee and her mother back to Minnesota. Angalee enrolled in Mayo High School, but it was a huge school and not a good fit. She dropped out, intending to get a full-time job to help support her mother. She attempted night school and online school, but neither was a good fit. She was introduced to Rochester OffCampus (ROC) Charter School and liked how welcoming the school was. In Angalee’s words: “I’ve never been more proud of myself. It’s been a long battle, but my life has taught me that you can’t just give up when things get hard on you. You can’t just let someone bring you down and take everything from you; you have to fight in this world, and that’s what I’ve been doing my whole life. I don’t ever plan on giving up. I’ll make it to college, and I’ll make it to see the better things in life.”
“I‘m determined to be that one person who makes a difference in this world even if it is just one step at a time.” – Angalee Morrow
2014 Annual Report | www.rctc.edu/foundation
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