Medical Lake grad first in family to graduate

Medical Lake Endeavors senior Shaianne McConnell realizes that success is achieved one step at a time.

Two years ago, McConnell was homeless, and determined to change her life for the better. Now she will be the first person in her family to earn a high school diploma.

After being evicted from their home in California after her parents’ separation,McConnell, her mother, and three siblings stayed either with friends and family or in their car, for several years. That changed after two adult cousins moved from Yuba City to Medical Lake, eventually inviting McConnell to follow them.

“They asked us if we wanted to change our lives,” McConnell said. “My two oldest siblings came first, then my younger brother and I. My mom was hesitant at first about me moving because she knew she would miss me. All the others moved back, so I’m the only one still here with my cousins.”

“I was stuck in California in a situation where I didn’t know what to feel,” McConnell said. “Whatever steps I took didn’t get me anywhere, and I would always try, but things didn’t change. Moving here was a big step, and for a while I would question it, because I missed my family and it was a completely different atmosphere here. It was scary.”

Where did school fit in McConnell’s picture? Not really anywhere, she said. In fact, she can’t even remember exactly how many high schools she attended during her first two years.

“For a long time, I wasn’t really in school,” she said, “and I didn’t have much success. I think I missed something like 160 days my first two years of high school.”

When she arrived in Medical Lake, Shaianne said, her cousins made an appointment for her at Endeavors, an innovative alternative program which develops written Student Learning Plans for every student, focusing on the curriculum they need and delivering it either traditionally, by computer programs, or online.

“I was nervous before I started at Endeavors,” she said. “I didn’t know what to expect, or how the kids and teachers would be. But it has turned out really well. The students are more welcoming because many of them come from backgrounds similar to mine, so they are understanding of my situation. And the teachers all help you to believe in yourself.”

One of those instructors, advisory teacher Keith Dunlop, said that McConnell didn’t care that it would be difficult for her to graduate.

“She doubled up on classes to put herself in a position to graduate,” he said. “She has been an amazing addition to our school. Her resilience is what has impressed me the most about Shaianne. That and her work ethic.”

“I’ve always been pretty responsible, but since I’ve been here I’m way more confident,” McConnell said. “I like school, I got a job, and I have a lot of opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I stayed in California. I wouldn’t be working, I wouldn’t have graduated, and I would probably still be bouncing from house to house. My siblings who returned there are still struggling. I’m worried about them, but I can’t get them to change their minds.”

“I always knew that I wanted something better than I had. I was stressed out and depressed, and nothing ever changed. Now I’m planning on going to school in the fall, either online or at Spokane Falls Community College, and I’m saving money to get started on my own life.

“What I would tell others who were in my situation is that change can be hard, like it was for me, but it’s not where you start, it’s where you end up.”