BY BTL STAFF
Point Foundation, the nation's most prominent scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students, has announced its 2017 scholarship recipients, and it's by far the largest and most diverse group in the organization's history.
"Given the volatile political climate and its implications for trans rights, immigrant rights, gender issues, and civil liberties, it is essential that we continue to invest in the next generation of LGBTQ leaders," said Jorge Valencia, executive director and chief executive officer of Point Foundation.
"By helping them to access the higher education they need to succeed, we can assure promising LGBTQ students are poised to become the change makers we so desperately need."
From more than 2,000 applicants, 52 recipients were chosen — 27 LGBTQ students were chosen to be Point Scholars, while 25 LGBTQ students were chosen from community colleges to expand Point's Community College Scholarship Program. This year's scholarship recipients include veterans of the armed forces, award-winning artists, international LGBTQ rights activists, creators of nonprofit organizations, and young scientists.
Two-thirds of the Point Scholar class are people of color, nearly half of them identify as transgender, gender-nonconforming, or intersex, and eight were formerly homeless. In the group of community college recipients, 60 percent of the students are the first in their families to go to college, nearly half of them identify as transgender, gender-nonconforming, or intersex, and one-third identify as bisexual, polysexual, or queer.
Michael Arellano
Western Michigan University — Dance/Behavioral Science
Read Michael's full bio online.
Shannon Moran
University of Michigan — Chemical Engineering
Read Shannon's full bio online.
Donna Scaffidi
University of Michigan Law School
Read Donna's full bio online.
