Andy is a twenty-year-old Political Science major at De Anza College. Despite the financial and emotional hardships growing up that impacted his schooling and encountering negative experiences from others surrounding his sexuality, Andy remained dedicated to community service and LGBTQ+ advocacy all while excelling at school despite his circumstances. Andy is incredibly grateful for how generous the committee has been to offer him this scholarship. Every penny will be going towards his tuition when he transfers and the books and supplies that he couldn’t afford comfortably once before. Along with his Political Science degree that stems from the assistance this scholarship gives him, Andy knows it’ll be his life’s work to foster positive change within and for the LGBTQ+.

For Ray, education was something they were taught to value from a young age and they have always taken advantage of it through honors, AP, and community college classes, while also nurturing whatever new interests they come across. Regarding community work, after being a part of their queer youth group for several years, Ray became an intern at the Pacific Center for Human Growth and Development, mentoring young kids across the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Ray plans on putting this scholarship towards their undergraduate education, studying various things that interest them from medicine to foreign languages.

Jacqueline is a freshman studying Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. They have been organizing student-led campaigns and working with community organizations in the Bay Area since high school. As a new college student, they are excited to continue exploring ways to get involved with social justice causes in San Diego. Jacqueline plans to put the funds from the scholarship towards their tuition for school. By helping to alleviate the financial burden of pursuing higher education, the scholarship gives them the opportunity to focus more on their passions in advocacy.

Kenneth is a Theatre Arts student at San Jose City College, passionate about the art of Drag and giving back to my community by creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ beings. She practices meditation, yoga, and journaling to ground and heal herself as a spiritual leader, in order to showcase Tutú Much and uplift her community. Kenneth intends to utilize her scholarship award to help pay for her tuition. Specifically, she intends to put it towards paying off her overdue student balance, in order to register for the Spring 2023 semester. In addition to registering for the Spring semester, Kenneth intends to utilize the funds to help allow her to continue working as TTC President on campus, removing the stress of financial aid.

Originally from Cary, North Carolina, Malia Gibbs is a senior at Santa Clara University studying Political Science and Management. She co-founded the Queer People of Color Association (QPOCA) to help serve and celebrate their intersectional community and increase joy and visibility for queer students of color. Malia will use this money to support my education and expand QPOCA as it continues to grow into a flourishing space for the community.

Danny is currently studying Child and Adolescent Development, specializing in Early Childhood Education, at San Jose State University. Her research interests include diversity and equity in early childhood education, anti-bias and anti-racist curriculum, and LGBTQIA+ curriculum. The scholarship award will assist with her new academic journey as a grad student starting in Spring 2024.

As a transgender female, Alice’s biggest worry is being viewed as a monster just for being who she is. However, overtime, she realized that she was never a monster, but people are just scared to accept who she is; She wants to end that. Alice’s goals are aimed at making transgender folk feel proud of who they are and working towards educating society about the importance of acceptance. Since Alice’s goals are aimed towards supporting the queer community, she’ll be using her scholarship to pursue college, with a major in Psychology. Additionally, her end goal is to be a Therapist for other transgender folk.

Christian’s academic journey has been shaped by a passion for technology and education, complemented by my involvement with the Los Angeles LGBT Center, Gender Justice LA, and FWD.us. These experiences and personal moments have fueled his commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy. Christian plans to utilize the scholarship award to continue his Ph.D. in education urban leadership to help immigrant and queer students like him, furthering his advocacy work in LGBTQ+ and immigrant rights.