Like most children born and raised in the Gorge, Rowan McKenna grew up skiing, biking, mountain biking, kiteboarding, and playing varsity lacrosse. “My parents put me on skis before I could run. I ski raced from a really young age, and I did club racing up until my sophomore year. I also play lacrosse. I’m a defender on the varsity team and a captain this year.”
During her junior year, a torn ACL abruptly sidelined the athlete she had always been, forcing her to slow down for the first time. What felt like a devastating setback ultimately became the catalyst for a very different journey for Rowan.
“After recovering from my ACL injury, I joined the high school ski race team. It was a slightly less competitive level, but it was also more of a team environment, which was really cool,” she said. “We went to state, and the girls’ team won. I placed third in giant slalom and fourth overall.”
Even though she couldn’t really play lacrosse, she still went to practices. To stay involved as a team player, she also got dressed up as their mascot, Toffee. It was during this time that she started her own club and became more involved in activism. “I like to say it opened up other things. It is kind of like that saying, “When a door closes, a window opens.”’
After the Trump administration was elected, many of the values Rowan cared deeply about felt under attack. Issues such as environmental justice, immigrant rights, gun laws, human rights, and women's bodily autonomy fueled her determination to make a difference
“I really wanted to do something, but I wasn’t sure what was out there for me to do.”
The first thing she decided to try was creating zines and distributing them around the school. They were kind of Moxie-style, inspired by the feminist film Moxie. She placed the zines in her school’s bathrooms. Her homemade pamphlets ended up sparking conversations and became the first step in creating Gorge Youth Movement, a student-led organization dedicated to empowering young people to take action on the causes they care about.
She didn’t stop there. “Then I started talking to local community members and organizations I didn’t know existed, like Hood River Latino Network, the Hood River Democrats, and other grassroots activists. Through that, I realized there was a bigger activist community in Hood River than I ever knew about before.”
She partnered with the MEChA Club at her high school on a Somos Inmigrantes campaign, raising more than $1,000 and distributing hundreds of buttons, ribbons, and stickers throughout the community. The campaign culminated in a student walkout, where more than 300 students gathered to stand in support of their immigrant neighbors.
“We distributed more than 500 buttons and 500 ribbons. By the end of the week, you could see everyone walking around with yellow on them. It was really cool to see that many students come together, step out, and protest.”
She also helped organize an activism-themed student art gallery at Toki, supported voter education, and invited people to speak to students about how to get involved. Thankfully, all of the hard work will continue when she moves away to college. After recently holding elections, Gorge Youth Movement selected a new generation of student leaders to carry its mission forward.
The organization has also become part of the Rural Organizing Project, a statewide network that supports grassroots organizations across rural Oregon. At the group's annual caucus, Gorge Youth Movement received the Human Dignity Group of the Year Award for advancing democracy and human dignity in rural Oregon.
Rowan's passion for civic engagement led to another unexpected opportunity when she attended one of Senator Ron Wyden's town halls. “I went to a town hall, stood up, and asked how youth could have a voice in politics.” She caught the senator's attention, and he offered her an internship in his Portland office.
The experience gave Rowan a behind-the-scenes look at public service. “I was partially remote because the office was in Portland. I worked with a legislative assistant in Washington, D.C., a lot of the time.” Rowan helped sort emails by their specific issue and assisted with town hall events. While she enjoyed learning how the office operated, her favorite moments came when she could help set up community forums, welcome attendees, and watch democracy in action.
The opportunity came full circle when Senator Wyden accepted Rowan's invitation to visit Hood River Valley High School for a Listening to the Future town hall. The event filled the Bowe Theatre, where students eagerly asked questions. Rowan served as the moderator, helping facilitate a conversation between her classmates and one of Oregon's U.S. senators.
“I wasn’t super activist-y when I was little. My parents raised me in the Gorge, biking and being outside. They raised me to care about other people and be kind. Those values led me here. We share many of the same political beliefs, and I love having philosophical conversations with my dad.”
Rowan also credits the people and stories that shaped her perspective. As she grew older, she found herself inspired by youth activist Greta Thunberg, and remembers watching Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem and being captivated by the message and possibility. Books played an equally powerful role. The young adult novels she loved often centered on ordinary teenagers finding the courage to challenge injustice and stand up for others. “You read all these young adult novels about a ragtag group of teenagers standing up for somebody and taking down the monarchy. I felt like some of what was happening in America reflected those books. They taught us empathy, but they also taught us, “Hey, you can do this.”’
Rowan was busy in her high school. She served as an officer for her school's It's On Us, helping lead a week of activities focused on sexual assault awareness, prevention, and support. She also served as vice president of Girl Up while helping lead Period Club, where students raised money and assembled menstrual hygiene kits for the FISH Food Bank. In addition, Rowan was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in Sources of Strength, a student-led mental health organization. She also spent several years working as an assistant mountain bike coach, sharing her love of the outdoors with younger riders.
While Rowan was recovering from her ACL injury, she discovered another passion, slam poetry. It has become a powerful way to transform her thoughts and emotions around topics she cares about into words. She shares her work on Instagram, performs at protests, has competed in Portland slam poetry events, and eventually took the stage at a school assembly. One of her most meaningful performances explored body dysmorphia, a topic she believes is important for both young women and young men to hear.
“At one point, it was scarier to share them. But I have gotten to the point where I kind of shout it to the ceiling.”
As Rowan heads to Dartmouth College this fall, the work she started isn't ending. New student leaders will continue building on the foundation she founded. “I created the club to empower them to take action on the things they care about," she said. "I think it can feel really hopeless. When you realize, 'Hey, I actually did something. It made a positive change,' that feels really good and is really important."
