Reflections Magazine Issue #76 - Spring 2012 | Page 18

Feature Article

Siena helped me out with things I
couldn’t afford . . . Books, calculators.
They just did whatever they possibly
could to make sure I was OK.
— Derek

Is this Heaven? No, it’s Siena Heights
Most people don’t know what it’s like to
sleep on the steps of an office building.
Derek does.
Growing up in a city, Derek was estranged
from his parents during most of his high school
years. He bounced around from house to house,
friend to friend, just to have a warm place to lay
his head. And sometimes he was homeless.
After graduating from a performing arts high
school, Derek had few options. So he worked
several low-paying jobs, just enough to afford a
low-income apartment, but not much else.
“I worked to save money, but the best job
I could get was minimum wage,” Derek said. “I
needed to do something with my life. I needed
to find some other way to get into college.”
This went on for three years, until a friend
told Derek about the small, private school he
was attending. That school was Siena Heights.
“He said, ‘You need to go to Siena. They
might be able to help you. Why don’t you just
show up?’”
Derek did, and Siena did the rest.
“They guided me through everything I
needed to do,” he said. “Scholarships. Grants.
Eventually I got here.”
Getting to Siena was one thing, staying
was anot