Torrie Eagle Staff, a junior at Roosevelt High School (Portland Public Schools), is the subject of a short-length feature video that debuted today as part of “The Promise of Oregon” campaign. Torrie is the first of three students statewide whose stories will be featured in videos on the campaign website.
In the video, Torrie outlines how alcoholism and diabetes have taken their toll on Native Americans, and why her family moved from a South Dakota reservation to Portland seeking educational opportunity. She has never forgotten where she is from, but through hard work and dedication in school, student government and the basketball team she has helped define where she is headed: toward a university education.
Torrie hopes to attend Stanford University. She also wants to inspire others and help Native Americans to break cycles of poverty.
“I believe it starts with the youth to make a change,” she says.
