We love to see our students shining out in the community!

Yoli, who graduated from Franklin High School this May with support from the Step Up program, now owns her own food cart, Mestizaje.

Her Step Up family, who walked alongside Yoli during her high school journey, is proud to see her fulfill one of her goals. “I remember this being on her dream collage at camp!” says Danise, a Step Up camp facilitator, recalling Yoli as an incoming freshman. At camp, students paste together clippings of what they want their future to look like, from their dream cars, careers and what kind of family they want. Throughout camp and their school year with Step Up students develop the mindset to achieve the goals they set for themselves, with Advocates to remind them of their greatness along the way.

Located in the Hawthorne Asylum food carts on SE McDaniel & 11th, Yoli’s food cart is a place to celebrate her heritage and experiment with new combinations. She loves sharing recipes that remind her of her Portuguese-Spanish grandmother.

UPDATE Fall 2019: Yoli has temporarily closed the cart so she can focus full time on her college studies at PCC. She’s completing her prerequisites and still plans to study culinary science and pursue a career in food. Everyone at Open School is proud of what she’s accomplished so far and her incredible focus on achieving her dreams.