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Scholarship Recipients

Congratulations 2024 PFLAG SDC Scholarship Recipients!

Mary Wagner Memorial Scholarship

Donor: Marilyn & Art Carpenter

Athena Bernheim | she/her

Athena Bernheim is a part of the class of 2024 at High Tech High North County. While in high school, she taught teenagers financial literacy to prepare them to become financially- functioning adults. Among other activities, she volunteered teaching science at local summer camps. Athena will be pursuing a degree in economics at either UC Berkeley or Connecticut College. She is very excited to get to go to college. Eventually, she wants to pursue a career at a non-profit or with the government.

I have learned how vital it is to learn how to manage money effectively. Money problems can lead to a plethora of other issues, including food insecurity, lack of proper healthcare, and housing problems. I wanted to help mitigate this by creating a curriculum to educate teenagers. My hope was that as a teenager, I may be able to share the information on a level that I know my peers will understand. By equipping people with the knowledge and skills to navigate the increasingly complex world of personal finances, they are then empowered to make informed decisions, take opportunities, and build a more secure future. I sought to implement my curriculum in a high school setting, as well as share it publicly. I worked with the 9th grade teachers at my school to use my program in their “College and Career Readiness” class. Beginning with lectures, and ending with games, it lasted until the completion of the outlined content. Several parents have told me that by beginning the financial discussions at school, it makes it easier to talk about at home. In order to share these resources with an audience beyond my hometown, the curriculum is posted on my website, financialfinance.org. Over the past three years, I’ve posted 5 completed modules and corresponding resources. My goal was to promote financial literacy among teenagers, thus supporting the financially-functioning adults of tomorrow.

Starting in my junior year, and continuing to the present, I have been interning at Casa de Amparo, an organization whose mission is to support those affected by and at risk of child abuse and neglect. During my time there, I learned that poverty is a substantiated child maltreatment risk factor. At the internship, I assisted with fundraising, and developed an extensive understanding of some of the issues caused by poverty and the monetary support required to implement foundational programs. The hands-on experience that I gained from this opportunity is evident in my approach towards financial education. It is my sincerest hope that my methods of teaching will positively impact those who need it most.

At Casa de Amparo, I was primarily focused on auctions, and raffles. I solicited auction items for fundraising events, and then organized and coordinated the silent auction portion. Outside of the development department, I supported some of the logistics surrounding housing, specifically relating to supply management.

Moving forward, I want to continue supporting the well-being of children, whether that is their transition into fiscally relevant adults, or meeting their basic mental and physical needs.

Eventually, I would like to start a nonprofit that works with schools to formally provide resources for the kids. By streamlining the process, it can make it easier to integrate substantial programs in a meaningful way. These programs could range from financial education, support with family crises, LGBTQ+ guidance, or aiding with access to food, water, and internet.

I have experience running a nonprofit, as well as working with kids. I am co-founder, and treasurer of the Student Healthcare Readiness Program, Inc. This organization supports low-income high-schoolers in their pursuit of higher education. We pair the high school students with a mentor at a local college, and provide resources in applying to and preparing for college, specifically medical school. The goal of the program is to assist in the mitigation of financial and knowledge-based boundaries that come with pursuing a career in the medical field.

John Bessemer Memorial Scholarship

Donors: PFLAG San Diego County, Scott Bernard

Jarod Yun | he/him

Jarod will be attending Southern California University of Health Sciences’ Physician Assistant Program. Through his volunteer work with The Trevor Project, Jarod discovered his passion for working with underserved communities. Upon graduating, he plans to go into Primary Care as this will provide opportunities to help the LGBTQIA+ community and other underserved populations. As a future PA, Jarod hopes to be able to bridge the gap in healthcare disparities and provide a safe and inclusive environment for his patients.

While I was preparing my application for PA school, I chose to volunteer with The Trevor Project. I took on this opportunity because I am passionate about serving the LGBTQIA+ community and know that this is a population I want to help as a future PA. Through my experience growing up as gay and volunteering with The Trevor Project, I have seen first-hand some of the difficulties individuals within this community face when it comes to problems such as healthcare. Some of these issues include a shortage of providers trained in LGBTQIA+ care, gender affirming care, and being unable to access care. I feel that this contributes to some of the factors putting these individuals at high risk for many health concerns such as STDs, substance abuse, and mental health concerns. Being part of The Trevor Project put me in a position to start helping LGBTQIA+ individuals. I was able to be there to listen to their concerns and show full support. My contacts usually reached out when struggling with issues such as coming out, suicide, and bullying. I was happy knowing that I was able to help people feel empowered by creating solutions and goals. As a Trevor Chat Counselor, I was able to find resources for my contacts to receive support and services. Because mental health is an important aspect of one’s well-being that is easily overlooked, it was important for us to also perform suicide risk assessments and create plans to keep contacts safe. I feel that while my role with The Trevor Project was just a small part of something bigger, I was still able to see the impact we had on the community. It was rewarding to see how being supportive and empathetic can make a positive change in someone’s day and possibly life. When my contacts first reached out, they were usually upset, sad, or stressed. However, after being there to talk with them, they usually became more positive and looked forward to carrying out the plan we created together. These plans typically ranged from identifying local support to reconciling relationships. This experience has shown me that I want to work with the underserved as a future PA. Upon graduating, I plan to go into Primary Care as this will provide me the best opportunity to serve the LGBTQIA+ community and other underserved populations. As a future PA, I hope to be able to bridge the gap in healthcare disparities and provide a safe and inclusive environment for my patients. This scholarship will allow me to dedicate my time and focus to serving these individuals instead of worrying about some of the financial burdens that come with attending a Physician Assistant Program.

Rob Benzon Memorial Scholarship

Donor: Rob Benzon/Dan Ferbal Foundation

Sada Cuzick | she/her

Sada is planning to study psychology as an incoming freshman at the University of California, Santa Cruz in fall 2024. She plans to research alternative therapies for treatment-resistant mental illness while also promoting queer liberty on campus. Sada is humbled to receive this scholarship from the Rob Benzon/Dan Ferbal Foundation and is grateful for the educational opportunity.

Queerness has always been a distinct part of my nature, whether in terms of strangeness or sexuality. I was raised in a household where uniqueness was embraced, and I understood my privilege to be loved wholeheartedly since I was very young. I have been unabashedly myself since childhood, but the pressures of societal conformity began infiltrating me once I entered high school. My self-expression grew timid over the following years until I took hold of my identity and adopted my schools Gender-Sexuality Alliance, a club that values freedom of expression and safety for LGBTQ+ youth.

Through this club, my co-president, secretary, and I have created a safe space on campus for students to tell their stories, have a group of people they know they can rely on, discuss personal and local issues, and make new friends. Not only does our club create community at our school, but it is also part of a larger organization of GSAs that often come together to tackle issues that affect our community.

On July 20th of this year, my high school district cut ties with San Diego Youth Services. This decision ended many queer-specific resources for students at every school in the district, making it even harder for LGBTQ+ students to access vital services. Countering the blatant homophobia that has begun to run rampant throughout my community, our GSA has been attending district meetings, peacefully protesting this ruling. Many of us have spoken directly to the board, making them aware of the severity of this

situation.

As president of GSA, I took it upon myself to attend San Diego Pride’s Youth Leadership Academy to educate myself on how to become a greater agent of change. Here, I collected resources for our GSA to use until we receive proper resources from school services again. Though it will take more advocating for this decision to be reversed, I will continue to lead and do everything in my power to make the queer students of Grossmont High School feel safe, represented, protected, and provided for.

Currently, my co-leaders of GSA and I are working on expanding our club so we can increase our impact on campus. Our school has an abundance of queer students, but many seem to be either too timid to join GSA or are concerned about the negative stereotypes associated with it. Acknowledging

that joining a queer-focused club can be embarrassing for some is sad but true. I want to put more effort into normalizing GSA and gathering a more diverse group of students to enrich our club. With the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation still influencing our community, it’s important to have a strong and stable group of young minds who are unafraid to stand up for what we believe in.

I’m extremely excited to carry my leadership skills into college and my future endeavors. I plan on joining queer-focused clubs and alliances on my college campus, as well as participating in their human-rights groups. My passion for equity will reach past my experience in high school. I can’t wait to continue to positively influence and impact my community, wherever my future takes me.

Stephen G. Bowersox Memorial Scholarship

Donors: Jim & Donna Bowersox

Chelsea Long | she/her

Chelsea is a graduating senior from Mission Bay High School and an incoming freshman at Brown University, where she plans to study English. In high school, she has advocated for the LGBTQ+ community by speaking at district events, leading her high school GSA, and working as a student ambassador on a $10,000 It Gets Better Project grant. She recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a project about LGBTQ+ history that reached over 100 students at several San Diego schools. In the future, she wants to continue highlighting diverse perspectives and making the world a safer place for everyone.

Raytheon RAYPRIDE & NXGEN STEM Scholarship

Donor: Raytheon RAYPRIDE & NXGEN

Abigail Beulke | she/her

From a young age, I have been deeply passionate about understanding how the world works, which has led me to dream of majoring in mechanical engineering. I have always been willing to push, learn, and fail to pursue my dream in engineering, and I have taken many opportunities that have crossed my way, both in and out of school. From years of after-school programming classes to co-current enrollment in local community colleges since my sophomore year, I have taken charge of my education. I am excited to be majoring in Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona starting in the Fall of 2024.

Raytheon RAYPRIDE & NXGEN STEM Scholarship

Donor: Raytheon RAYPRIDE & NXGEN

Natalie Scott | she/her

Hello my name is Natalie Scott, and I am a part of the 2024 graduating class at El Cajon Valley High School. I will be attending UC Berkeley where I will be studying engineering. I look forward to making a difference in the world by being an engineer, specifically in the area of climate change. I also plan to be involved in clubs working on building an LGBTQIA+ community and clubs working to support Women in STEM during my time at UC Berkeley. Some things that bring me joy are swimming, the beach, and welding.

Kendall Family Memorial Scholarship

Donors: Terrie Vorono & Lonnie Brunini

Brayden Pape | they/he/she

My name is Brayden Pape, and I’m a senior at Helix Charter High School in La Mesa. I’m passionate about equity and social justice. I’m the founder and CEO of a student-run 501(c)(3) unincorporated nonprofit association called the PATH Interscholastic Leadership Team or “PILT” that provides San Diego County students with opportunities to help eliminate homelessness and hunger. As a student board member on the San Diego County Board of Education in my junior year, I successfully advocated for eligible high school athletes to receive free or low-cost physical exams so that family finances don’t stand in the way of their athletic participation. As for the future, I hope to become a clinical child psychologist. I will be attending a 4-year university this fall to major in psychology with a specialization in developmental psychology. I would like to thank my mentors for guidance, my high school for supporting my various initiatives, and my parents for letting me be my true self.

M. Lynne Austin Memorial Scholarship

Donors: Ray & Jan Aller

Derrick Herrera | he/him

I am a Graduate of SDSU with Degrees in Political Science, American Indian Studies, and International Security. I am pursuing my Master of Arts in Political Science this Fall– emphasizing Ethnic & Immigration Politics. At SDSU, I have taken many roles in serving my community, and I now serve as the vice president of external relations. Regarding my disciplines, I want to work towards a career in Tribal Law and aspire to serve my communities the way they have done so for me.

Throughout this past year, my efforts to advocate for the masses have paid off in the sense of seeing a change in the communities I am involved in. Attending San Diego State University, I have had the privilege to complete three-degree programs at no expense through scholarships and grants. The

extent to which I have gone throughout my undergraduate career is unheard of for someone who is first-generation, self-supporting, and coming from a mixed background of undocumented and Native American descent. My identity does not come with merit, whereas I have had 18-hour days to

accommodate two part-time jobs, a full course load, and extracurricular activities. Although these choices are personalistic, and I consented to take on responsibility, people I consider family do not have the same privilege. There are community members who need more financial assistance. To

achieve their public service and advocacy aspirations, they must sacrifice portions of their life to have just one. Closing my chapter of undergraduate studies and opening the next chapter of graduate studies, my reason for advocacy and service is for equity in the pursuit of quality living. For a majority of my peers, that begins in educational settings. The number of people that I have met who dropped out due to the cost of attendance, along with the cost of living, goes beyond my fingers. A figure should not determine the next steps in one’s life. Education is supposed to open doors rather than create a line at the door that may not even open for most of those waiting.

In my second year of undergraduate studies, I was privileged to contribute to the Elymash Yuuchaap: Indigenous Scholars and Leaders Program at San Diego State University. Named in ‘Iipay Aa, the Kumeyaay language, meaning “Youth Think,” this program symbolizes a deep connection to the region’s indigenous heritage. The late Kumeyaay elder Larry Benegas from Barona bestowed upon it with his name, reflecting a reverence for the First Peoples and their rich cultural legacy.

Since its inception in 2014, the Elymash Yuuchaap (EY) Program has expanded significantly. Starting with 12 students, it now boasts support for over 80 indigenous scholars on campus. Grounded in principles of social justice and indigenous perspectives, the EY Program is committed to fostering the academic, cultural, and social success of Native and Indigenous students at San Diego State University. I found this community on campus to feel like I belong and that there are people who look like me. I did not

anticipate that this would change the trajectory of my college career and my life. Becoming the outstanding leader in this program led me to take the lead on an initiative to provide educational funding for Elymash Yuuchaap students. It’s critical to understand that 7/8 of Native students pursuing higher education come in with no financial support whatsoever, the enrollment of students identifying as Native American at SDSU totals .01% of the 35,000 margin. My goal in walking into the student advocate role for tuition assistance was to improve retention rates amongst our native students and become a sanctuary for Native American students. The numbers alone speak for themselves: this institution isn’t curated for Native Americans, let alone people of color, as Black students stand at 5.0% of the population.

Jumping on this scholarship initiative took a tremendous amount of my time, where I was meeting with University Stakeholders like Student Affairs and Campus Diversity, the Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the President to provide a tangible demonstration of Native success in our institution. To President De La Torre, I emphasized the importance of advancing the potential for native students on our campus, given that we sit on Kumeyaay land. However, the conversations were difficult, with pushback, questions, and deliberation over fiscal budgeting rather than the importance of cultivating diversity on our campus. Most of my discussions led to the fact that out of all the California State Universities, we serve the most Native students (350). That number is ridiculous because there aren’t support systems that invoke higher retention rates for native enrollment. Walking out of the Office of the President, I sought success in securing funding for my community. Contributing to the cultivation of a tuition-supported native program by becoming the model CSU for such a thing was thanks to the need demonstrated by my friends, mentees, and mentors. The struggle is common throughout college, and the severity is heightened throughout the Native Community. If my people weren’t need, I wouldn’t need to advocate throughout our system. Yet, the living struggle inspired me to cultivate excellence and support for the people I love. It has taught me how much I value serving underrepresented communities, where the transaction is change for the better rather than a check. Walking into my graduate program for Political Science, I am ready to take my level of advocacy to another level. I plan to serve as the Student Vice President of External Relations, advocating for all marginalized and underserved communities. It is not my responsibility to do so, but it is my passion at the end o in the day. I care because I know how much hurt not being heard causes, and it is time for a person of color to amplify community members. From here on out, I plan to become a public servant acting in the interest of the people through the means of politics, bureaucracy, and the law.

Qualcomm STEM Scholarship

Donor: Qualcomm eQuality LGBTQ Employee Network

Bea Colobong | she/her

My name is Bea and I was born in the Philippines! I came to California as a young girl and taught myself English through reading books and watching movies. In high school, I discovered my love for volunteering, especially through sustainability related activities. I am currently a senior in high school and plan to major in mechanical engineering. I’m passionate about environmental awareness and supporting women in STEM. As a future mechanical engineer, I hope to focus on renewable energy systems and alternative materials. I plan to enter UCSD in the fall, and I am super excited for my upcoming classes! I love challenging myself, meeting new people, and expanding my knowledge.

Qualcomm STEM Scholarship

Donor: Qualcomm eQuality LGBTQ Employee Network

Marion Demailly | she/her

Marion is currently working as a critical care nurse at UC San Diego Health and will be pursuing a Master of Public Health in Population and Family Health at Columbia Mailman in New York in the fall. Marion is passionate about health equity and access, especially in intersectional LGBT populations such as LGBT refugee/immigrant communities and incarcerated LGBT populations. Marion plans to do community health work and research in these areas throughout the MPH program and after graduating. The LGBT community has made her the person she is today and she is so grateful for the opportunity to support her community through public health.

I believe the best way to make a positive impact in your community is by showing up every day to the best of your ability. I believe every action has an impact, whether big or small. And I believe in making that impact positive in consistent and sustainable ways. For me, that is reflected in how I treat my patients at work, the organizations I choose to volunteer with, and the ways I show up for my friends and neighbors.

In struggling with health issues like endometriosis and depression since I was 11 years old, I learned that no one person can do it all. These issues became so debilitating as a teenager that I stopped being able to attend school. My grades plummeted and I felt alone. With time and support, I learned how to honor my needs and find ways to show up for myself and my community within my limitations. Some days, I can go to Tijuana for long volunteer clinic days. Other days, showing up means sending GoFundMe donations for someone’s gender affirming surgery. And on the hardest days, it means reaching out for help and trusting that my community will support me too. This is what it means to be part of the LGBT community.

It is so easy to be lost in the healthcare system, especially when you are part of a marginalized group. I currently work as an ICU nurse and I aim to help all patients feel safe and listened to. I am a huge advocate for the importance of qualified interpreters for patients with Limited English Proficiency. I designed an inservice educating our nurses on the available interpreter options and on the health consequences of not using interpreters when caring for these patients. After a recent incident in which I overheard peers making harmful comments regarding a transgender patients’ pronouns, I communicated my concerns and observations to management and collaborated with them to initiate an educational module on respectful and affirming care for transgender and nonbinary patients. I hope that these actions can help shift healthcare culture and create a safer space for our community.

Outside of work, I volunteer at The San Diego LGBT Community Center library where I organize groups for seniors and catalogue books to create an online library database. It is such a gift to engage with LGBT elders whose experiences paved the way for me to get to live openly as a lesbian. It is also exciting to see LGBT history and entertainment in the library collection, and to help make this resource more accessible to library visitors.

I also volunteer with Refugee Health Alliance, an amazing organization that provides health care for migrants in Tijuana, and utilize my healthcare skills to screen patients and administer medications. Some clinic days are at a shelter specifically for LGBT migrants. It has been incredibly moving to hear their stories. I hope that I have been able to create a safe space for them as they received medical care, and that they felt heard, respected, and supported.

I aim to make a positive impact in my community on a daily basis. I support local Hillcrest businesses and donate to organizations that are doing important work for our community, like Al Otro Lado and The Brown Building. I share resources and snacks with our unhoused neighbors, many of whom are part of the LGBT community. I organize holiday dinners for my friends who do not have a family to go home to. I bring care packages to my friend going through a lesbian breakup, which we all know is the worst kind of breakup. I love my partner as they figure out their gender identity, and read books with them and give them the space and support they need during this complex journey.

I know they may not seem like much, but I truly feel that these small moments are the building blocks of positive community impact.

In the future, I plan to support my community through public health. I dream of a world in which LGBT people have access to safe, affirming, and equitable healthcare. I have accepted an offer at Columbia where I plan to get a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Population and Family Health with a certificate in Sexuality, Sexual and Reproductive Health. My goal is to use the knowledge I will gain from this degree to do research and work that is in line with making this dream a reality for our communities.

I plan to work with community-oriented organizations to promote access to culturally sensitive healthcare for LGBT people. I am especially interested in work that centers communities facing intersectional health challenges, such as incarcerated LGBT people or undocumented LGBT people. I want to collaborate with community leaders to directly cater to the real needs of patients, such as sexual health, mental health, and disease prevention. I am also interested in the intersections of global health and LGBT health. I hope to work with our communities abroad at some point, ideally in Latin America, to help create sustainable health interventions and meet local needs. Then I want to return here to my home state of California to focus on the community I grew up with.

I also plan to support our community through research. I have witnessed firsthand how medicine overlooks the LGBT community and our needs. I strongly believe research is fundamental to creating change, and I want to help close the knowledge gap on LGBT health issues.

Being a lesbian is a central part of my identity. It has taught me about love, about the importance of community and chosen family, about mutual aid and support, about bravery and the value of rejecting norms and expectations. It has taught me about solidarity and sticking up for what is right. I am so grateful for this beautiful community, and I hope to take advantage of these opportunities to give back to those that made me who I am.

Daniel J. Ferbal Memorial Scholarship

Donor: Rob Benzon/Dan Ferbal Foundation

Hisami Oliva | she/her

Hisami is a graduating senior at High Tech High Media Arts, planning to study legal and environmental studies at Williams College in the fall. She is a strong advocate for intersectional causes and believes more democratized higher education to be a focal component of increasing gender equity. She is so grateful to be receiving this scholarship!

“Leave it better than you found it,” my mom, like everyone else’s mom often told me. I take this and everything she says to heart, but its meaning has changed since I was a kid. As a kid, I took it too literally. I was a notorious fun-sponge for it, on one occasion, I broke down the pillow forts my sister and cousins constructed to leave our hotel room “better than we found it” and looked at their angered faces, which starkly contrasted the thought that I was being helpful. I think back to this seemingly insignificant moment 11 years ago as illustrating the changemaker I want to be today and beyond: Someone who betters by building up, not through tearing down.

Throughout high school, I feel I’ve worked toward that commitment of building up. In my sophomore year, I created a community fridge at my school after learning that 25% of my county is considered a food desert, meaning some of my peers (and even myself at one point in time) could be facing food insecurity. I was inspired by community fridges that exist all over the US, which signified contemporary community power in a way I’d never seen before. After the sudden stroke of inspiration, I stalked the internet for free fridges on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist, and everywhere you could find someone who is parting with perfectly working appliances. I ended up finding a SubZero fridge for free that was perfect for the project and picked it up with my dad in our barely big enough minivan, establishing the fridge with a couple of other students and some donations.

In the process of figuring out the logistics of giving out perishable food, I was exposed to the beauty of mutual aid, helping me find join in the process of fighting food apartheid.

This project highlighted the power of community organizing for me and also piqued an interest in the policy side of change-making, after learning about food injustice’s systemic roots. I subsequently applied for the California Youth Climate Action Policy program my junior year and am now working with my school’s environmental club and administration to implement green-waste recycling and composting on campus, alongside educating the community on the intersection between the food system and climate change.

As a high school senior and rising college freshman, I’m vehemently committed to the longevity of these projects and am excited to embark on new projects toward equity as I enter university. I’m looking to study environmental policy in college and organize on campus for the environmental cause, but I also have a deep interest in gender and sexuality studies. I am interested in learning more about how identity affects environmental injustice, and how climate change will disproportionately affect people already on the margins.

Gary A. Marcus Scholarship for the Fine and Applied Arts

Donor: Gary Marcus

Kiera Feighan-Patrizi | she/her

Kiera is a 4th year Film and Media Studies major at UC Santa Barbara. In her work as a filmmaker, she hopes to create meaningful stories that will have a positive impact on our community. Last summer, she was a camera operator and head editor for a documentary on domoic acid with the Coastal Media Project, and it was screened in multiple film festivals including NaturTrack Film Festival and Montecito Student Film Festival. After she graduates, she hopes to pursue her career as a director and screenwriter. She is currently working on a women’s climbing documentary with the Carsey Wolf Center at UCSB as a part of their GreenScreen environmental film program.

Bill Hanson Community College Scholarship

Donor: Bill Hanson

Angel Heute | he/him/they

Angel Huete is a 25-year-old student at Cuyamaca Community College, where he is pursuing a major in public health with the goal of becoming a physician assistant. As a first-generation student, Angel earned an Associate Degree in Science Pre-nursing at Fullerton College, aiming to gain health-related experience and explore various healthcare careers. With experience in helping people at a food bank in the Post-COVID pandemic, and giving companionship to elderly people without families, he is passionate to continue helping his community through health education, PreP awareness and immigrants who need help finding resources.

I am Angel Huete, a twenty five year-old Honduran immigrant, whose name is pronounced AEN-JUHL. My life’s journey has been a testament to resilience, marked by overcoming significant challenges and embracing opportunities to contribute positively to my community.

My passions lie in cooking and socializing, which has led me to volunteer experiences that are close to my heart. In Honduras, I spent time at a retirement home preparing meals and offering companionship to the elderly. This experience taught me the value of service and the profound impact of simple acts of kindness.

The pursuit of the American Dream brought forth new challenges and opportunities for growth. En route to the United States, I found myself administering Basic Life Support during a cardiac arrest in Mexico, saving a life. I also helped alleviate hunger by cooking for those in need, especially for those new to the country and without support.

Despite the struggles of adapting to a new language and the education system in the USA, I have sustained my commitment to my local community as well as academic excellence with volunteering at a food bank in my college during the post-COVID-19 pandemic period.

My personal history is one of hardship and perseverance. Being separated from my mother at the age of four and meeting my father for the first time at seven, only to experience his departure soon after, instilled in me an early sense of loss. At fourteen, I faced outright rejection from my family due to my sexual orientation which led to me being homelessness. Yet, I found ways to survive, including starting a small business buying, fixing, and reselling gaming systems which provided enough income for me to survive on my own for a time.

However, despite my best efforts, at eighteen I eventually was no longer able to support myself. In a moment of desperation, I reached out to my mother with a false promise of changing my sexual orientation, which led her to seek financial assistance from my father for my journey to the United States. That journey was perilous; I faced kidnapping and extortion at the border but ultimately arrived in San Diego where I began anew.

My father’s subsequent rejection upon discovering the truth about my sexual orientation left me isolated and with bruises on my face until the LGBTQI+ community of San Diego embraced me, helping me to stand on my own, separate from my family.

I have since celebrated many achievements, including marrying my partner, Conor, and earning an Associate Degree in Science Pre-Nursing with Honors. Currently, I am pursuing a degree in Public Health with aspirations of attending Physician Assistant (PA) school, which would make me the first in my family to earn a college education.

As a part-time student at Cuyamaca College and working towards becoming a Medical Assistant (MA) at the Health Occupational Center of Santee, I face financial constraints that limit my ability to register as a full-time student and afford non-resident tuition fees. My undocumented status further restricts employment and volunteer opportunities.

Looking ahead, I am committed to empowering LGBTQI+ individuals and immigrants by sharing resources and advocating for PreP awareness. I also intend to support others through self-acceptance by sharing my personal journey.

I am in the long process of obtaining immigration status and hope to work as an MA once it is approved. My plan is to transfer to SDSU as a Public Health major then apply to UCSD and PLNU for PA programs after completing my bachelor’s degree and working as an MA to obtain the necessary experience.

I would be honored to be considered for PFLAG scholarships and it would be invaluable in achieving my academic goals and continuing my community impact. Your support would greatly assist me in pursuing a future where I can advocate for and support others facing similar challenges.

Bill Hanson Community College Scholarship

Donor: Bill Hanson

Jade MacEoghain | they/them/theirs

Jade is a proud first-generation community college alum who graduated summa cum laude with dual Bachelor’s Degrees in Anthropology and English from Arizona State University in Spring 2024. They work in a public library and have been a community college writing tutor for six years, supporting first-year and sophomore English and Literature classrooms. Jade serves on their community college’s LGBTQIA+ Advisory Board and the library’s Access and Equity Alliance. At ASU, they were President and VP of Communications for the university’s only online LGBTQIA+ student club and ran a Queer Book Club. In 2023, they helped develop Carlsbad Library’s first-ever Pride program. Jade is a published writer and has presented at 15+ research conferences. They will begin their Master’s program this Fall in Literature & Writing Studies. In their free time, they enjoy creating multimedia art, reading and writing, baking desserts, and being a cat parent.

I am passionate about creating positive changes for my immediate LGBTQ+ community that ultimately ripple out into the world. In community college, I immersed myself in research and used my student leadership and advocacy roles to promote necessary changes for my fellow LGBTQ+ peers, where we had a GSA club, a single narrow bookshelf of queer books, and a directory of queer and trans+ faculty and staff, but no pride centre or safe space, and no allyship training, leaving students without that critical space of healing and being themselves. In my sophomore advanced Rhetoric and Composition course, I decided to use my Honors project as a way to advocate for change on my campus and beyond. I researched the history and the current status of campus safe spaces and pride centres, and found that out of over 4,000 colleges and universities across the country, only about 250 have these spaces, and only 6% of California community colleges do. I interviewed the librarian who helped found our GSA in the 1990s, and also looked at research showing the increase in hate crimes and lower educational successes for LGBTQ+ students who lack access to critical resources. I received an Honors Award at our Lavender Celebration for the project and the summer after my Rhetoric class, I worked with my professor to expand my project to present at multiple regional and national research conferences. In 2021, it was accepted for publication in Johns Hopkins Macksey Journal, a globally published journal. The risks I took in calling out my community college in a published paper paid off, and I am proud to say that in 2026, the campus will have its first official Pride centre, and now has a dedicated Academic Success and Equity program for LGBTQ+ students. I am honored that I was able to advocate alongside decades of the same work from staff and faculty to create real change in my community. As I transferred to university and also started a new job in my local public library, my safe spaces project was the launching pad to continue using my education and career to advocate for policy changes and improvements for my community. Last year, I took on the role of VP of Communications and Club President for my university’s only online LGBTQ+ club, BeYou at ASU. I started a queer book club, where we read and discuss a different queer book each semester, with the college providing the book free for students. This is especially important in light of historic book bans especially targeting LGBTQ+ stories and writers, and the book club provides students with a safe reading space. When I started working at my local public library in the Children’s Division, I looked at ways I could implement DEI and LGBTQ+ inclusion in the library. In 2023, I worked for several months with my colleague to research and develop the library’s first ever Pride programming since the library’s founding almost 60 years ago. We hosted Rainbow Storytimes for our youngest patrons, and a Human Library: Stories of Pride program, with panelists from the North County LGBTQ+ Resource Center, Diversionary Theatre, MiraCosta College, and a local drag queen. At the same time that I was working on this programming, the City Council was trying to overturn a resolution to raise the Pride flag, and the library’s Pride program was challenged and nearly canceled because of contentious City leadership. I took this challenge as an opportunity to be more outspoken and work with library leadership to advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusion. While we faced this pushback and over 30 anti-LGBTQ+ protesters turned up at the event, the program became a community healing event encouraging critical conversations with patrons. Many parents who attended shared their fears for their school children because of homophobia in school board meetings and witnessing the 500+ anti-LGBTQ+ bills and policies across the nation in 2023 alone. This year, I am collaborating with Carlsbad High School’s GSA club, where I will host an outreach event combining discussions of school safe spaces and vision board art. I am excited to continue providing resources for local queer youth. I am also on the library’s Access and Equity Alliance, where I have been working to ensure new trainings are mandated for all staff, including LGBTQ+ allyship training, and microaggression and implicit bias training to improve our workplace culture, and I oversee my branch’s collection of internal DEI books for staff learning.

As I approach graduation with Summa Cum Laude honors for my dual Bachelor’s degrees this May, I am preparing to start my Master’s degree studies this Fall in English (Literacies, Rhetorics, and Composition) while continuing my studies in library information sciences. I also hope to pursue a PhD in Anthropology after my Master’s program. During my graduate studies, I will continue research related to queer and trans voices in literature and poetry, where I hope to begin working on a digital archive of local LGBTQ+ creative voices. My concluding capstone project will be designing curriculum for a writing or literature course, where I will design a writing and literature course focused on queer voices within literature and expository writing. Once I have my MA, I will teach this course as I intend to teach in higher education and promote the advancement of LGBTQ+ students’ education and leadership. As a professional, I intend to also focus on policy design in higher education, and join the National Council of Teachers of English’s national policy roundtable to collaborate on institutional changes, especially considering attacks on DEI, book bans, and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. My hope is that through my graduate studies, and especially in my professional and post-doctoral work, I can provide opportunities to queer and marginalized students so they can rise to be the next generation of leaders, through the same opportunities and mentorship that ensured the work I am now doing.

Personal Achievement Scholarship

Donor: Anonymous

Julian Lopez | he/they

Julian is a passionate first-generation student pursuing a Master’s in Social Work at San Diego State University, building on a Bachelor’s in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC Irvine. Currently, Julian works at the San Diego LGBT Community Center’s housing department and interns as a therapist at Stepping Stone of San Diego. Post-graduation, Julian aims to become a licensed clinical social worker, focusing on mental health in LGBTQ and communities of color. With a commitment to social justice and equity, Julian is dedicated to serving and advocating for marginalized communities, driven by personal experiences and a desire to make a meaningful impact.

“Why don’t you just… not be trans?” That is what my ”LGBT Inclusive” therapist told me when I first sought out therapy when I began to question my identity. Being a first-generation citizen from a proud Mexican household, mental health was never spoken about, especially regarding my gender identity. I never returned to that therapist after our first session, and it baffled me that she was the only outwardly inclusive therapist my insurance provided. I could not go to my parents for help when I came out to them as a transgender person; they refused to acknowledge it, and eight years later, it is still the same. I was privileged enough to have health insurance that offered “inclusive” therapists; however, the level of care was not empathetic or culturally sensitive, something I strive for in professional and personal settings.

After graduating from the University of California – Irvine with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology, Law, and Society, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in a social work field, specifically a system that recognizes the disparities that minority populations face. It was not until I became a counselor at Casa de Amparo (Casa) that I understood firsthand the importance of providing proper care to populations often swept under the rug. Casa is a Short-Term Residential Treatment Program (STRTP) for youth in the Child Welfare System. Being one of the few LGBTQ staff members working at Casa, the majority of the youth felt comfortable coming to me when they would start to question their identities. Sometimes, a youth just needed someone to talk to, someone who understands their experience to process the trauma and behaviors they were experiencing. One of my most memorable moments was assisting a youth in discovering their identity and being the person I wish I had at that age.

In my position as Youth Services Navigator at the San Diego LGBT Community Center, I worked with queer youth, ages 18-24, who are faced with housing insecurity. I discussed the disadvantages they faced in the current homelessness system with them. Most homeless shelters divide their clients into binary genders, leaving gender non-conforming folks stuck in limbo. Often, clients of mine expressed how they were hesitant to seek help from community partners because they did not know how they were going to be treated based on their gender identity or sexual orientation. With close to 40% of all youth facing homelessness identifying as LGBTQ, queer youth not only disproportionately experience housing insecurity compared to straight or cis-gendered individuals, but they are also at a higher risk of being exposed to traumatic experiences while facing housing insecurity. This was something I witnessed firsthand while I worked with these youth. Part of my role was to serve as a peer support as the youth opened up about their experiences and hardships on the streets. Additionally, I was successful in providing stable housing opportunities to LGBTQ youth. Since starting my graduate program, I moved into a part-time position at The Center’s SafeSTAY Wellness Program, the country’s largest LGBTQ-focused emergency housing program. In this position, I provide peer support and resources to stabilize the youth who enter the program.

I also have the privilege of interning at Stepping Stone of San Diego, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization specializing in treatment for LGBTQ adults. As an intern, I provide individual and group therapy to assist clients in their recovery journey. The residential facility may be one of the first outwardly accepting places that clients have been a part of, so unpacking internalized homo/trans-phobia as well as the trauma clients have experienced as queer people is vital in their sobriety. Through this experience, I see the impact stigma and discrimination can have on the community, often making an individual feel isolated. Stepping Stone has an active alumni association of graduated clients who create a sense of community with residents who may not have one. As clients work through their trauma, they can slowly integrate within the community and have that social support as they start their sobriety.

My primary educational goal is to continue to contribute to the community in a more meaningful way. I am attending San Diego State University to earn a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. I plan to continue my education and become a licensed clinical social worker. With this license, I aspire to work within an organization that offers accessible services to the community to promote social justice, equity, diversity, and accessibility in mental health settings while promoting individual and community well-being. I hope to become the therapist I needed at the start of my gender-questioning journey and, in that role, continue to support the LGBTQ community in any way I can.

Personal Achievement Scholarship

Donor: Anonymous

Thuy Hong Phan | she/her

I am a first-generation graduate student who is currently pursuing my Master of Social Work at San Diego State University. My family and I immigrated to the United States from Vietnam through a family sponsorship program due to my father’s family being war refugees. Growing up in migrant communities, I have personally witnessed the systemic barriers and lack of equitable access to resources and support. In my undergraduate years at the University of California, San Diego, I developed a passion for community-based interventions and social justice, which led to my decision to double major in International Relations and Sociology, with a specialization in Social Inequality. Now as a graduate student and young professional, I strive to obtain my Credential in Pupil Personnel Services and Licensure in Clinical Social Work in hopes of fostering healing, empowerment, and advocacy among marginalized populations.

In 2007, my parents, brother, and I left our small village in Vietnam in the middle of the night and boarded a one-way flight to the United States with two suitcases – leaving behind our home, family, and friends. This one flight was worth more than ten years of immigration paperwork that my parents had started on before I was even born. I was only seven years old, but I still remember the image of my grandmother holding on to our hands and my mom collapsing in her arms. The first 6 months after arriving in the United States, my family and I slept on the hardwood floor of my uncle’s living room. A thin blanket occupied the space between us and the ground. With the language barrier, employers exploited my parents’ need for an income. My mom barely made $3 an hour while working all seven days of the week. My dad, on the other hand, would be so overcome with exhaustion from working 12 to 16-hour days as a janitor. For several years, my brother and I were bullied for not knowing how to speak English, so we would frequent the local library nearly every day to pick up books and learn how to read. Our family did not have a place to call “home” in this new country, and we were forced to repress our traumas and mental health as a way to survive.

These experiences have shaped me into the person I am today. As someone who is an immigrant and a first-generation student, I want to have the skills necessary to advocate for my community and those who have been discriminated against.

In recent years, I’ve had the opportunity to engage in several impactful roles that have made a positive difference in in my community. From 2019 to 2020, I was selected as an Undergraduate Student Researcher with the Mexican Migration Field Research and Training Program at the University of California, San Diego. My research partner and I conducted photo-ethnographic studies to center the conversation on the resilience, challenges, and motivations of Central American and African migrants and asylum-seekers. We would travel across the US-Mexico border to interview families and individuals who were displaced in Tijuana as they waited for their asylum cases to be called. Individuals and families received no housing, financial, or medical assistance, forcing many to fare for themselves. During my time with the program, we partnered with a family shelter in Tijuana known as Espacio Migrante, where my research partner and I would volunteer at weekly to provide migrant families with donated goods such as hygiene products, clothes, shoes, food, and so on. Additionally, I started a fundraising campaign for an elderly migrant who required immediate medical attention, but did not have the financial support to do so. At the end of the campaign, I was able to raise over $500 and upon communicating directly with the Director of Espacio Migrante, we successfully connected her to a local doctor for medical exams and medications. Though I do realize that we are migrants from different countries, a lot of our struggles and family values share similarities. After this research, I was determined that I wanted to go into a field that served and advocated for underrepresented communities.

In 2021, after graduating from UCSD, I began working as a Discharge Planner at New Vistas Crisis Center. Many of the clients in our inpatient program experienced homelessness and needed housing support, with little to no family relations, while also struggling with their mental health. My role was to collaborate with clients diagnosed with severe mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorder and evaluate their social services needs, create a personalized discharge plan, and action steps during their treatment at the program. I was responsible for advocating for the social services needs of each client and connecting with community service providers to help them obtain resources such as housing.

Fast forward to 2024, I now served as a California Community Responder where I particularly focusing on assisting former and current foster youth, kin caregivers, adoptive families, and individuals involved in the child welfare system. By assessing their needs and connecting them with appropriate resources such as housing, food, clothing, mental health support, legal aid, and more, I’ve helped individuals in vulnerable situations navigate through challenges and access essential services. An example of this impact was when I successfully advocated for a former foster youth on the brink of eviction, ensuring they received eviction avoidance assistance and maintained stable housing.

Moving forward, I plan to continue supporting my community through ongoing advocacy, service, and education. As I progress through my graduate studies, I will be participating in field practicum in the academic years of 2024 – 2025 and 2025 – 2026 while also attend classes full-time. I have expressed to faculty members that I am interested in having my field placements in non-profits, community organizations, behavioral health clinics, and school settings in hopes that I will have the opportunity to expand my knowledge in working with migrants’ communities, LGBTQ+ youth, and underserved populations. My personal and career goal is to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Health and Wellness Coach after I graduate from my Master’s program at San Diego State University in Spring 2026. My concentration is specifically in Direct Practice, and I intend use my experience to provide direct counseling and supportive services to individuals in need. I hope to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to help families and individuals heal from past traumas and uplift their voices. By combining my personal experience and these approaches, I aim to make a meaningful and sustainable impact in my community, empowering individuals and fostering positive change for a more equitable and compassionate society.

Jeffrey D. Shorn + Charles S. Kaminski Scholarship

Donor: Charles Kaminski

Kingston Tran | they/them

Kingston Tran is a Doctorate Student of Physical Therapy at the University of St. Augustine Health Sciences in San Marcos. They are a proud first-generation college student with a B.S. in Human Biology from UC San Diego. Kingston will be the first in their family to pursue a doctorate. They have volunteered for local nonprofit organizations such as Viet Voices and TransFamily Support Services. As a child of Vietnamese refugees, they are passionate about being a leader and helping the queer and trans Asian American community in San Diego.

My personal goals for the future are to become a physical therapist who serves trans and nonbinary people of color in San Diego. Based on my experience as a first-gen, nonbinary child of refugees, I plan to use my education and knowledge to help fill in the gaps of trans representation in the physical therapy field. I also hope to make my services more accessible to the Vietnamese American community, who face communication and cultural barriers to quality healthcare. Finally, my main goal after I graduate is to develop training for future physical therapists by facilitating workshops that create more inclusive environments for trans and nonbinary patients, especially with data showing that the trans community faces immense barriers in accessing gender-affirming healthcare.

Community is essential to making positive change in the world, and I’m grateful to have been able to find and foster my own community here in San Diego. While attending Miramar College and UC San Diego, I was involved in many different student organizations, as well as working on campus as a student leader and mentor. One of my biggest moments of pride in the community was when I was elected president of a large service organization at UC San Diego that partnered with local nonprofits in volunteer efforts. Being responsible for organizing student volunteers to help different communities in San Diego was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had. As an organization, some of the communities we helped serve include: youth with disabilities, people experiencing food insecurity, and even animals who needed to be adopted. Aside from my volunteer experience with general San Diego-based initiatives, I also worked for Live Well San Diego as a mentor to high school and college-aged youth who were looking to get involved with the county and local government. This experience connected me with so many youth across the county who were actively ready to improve our community and make San Diego a better place for us all. I feel so proud to be able to play a part in making North County a safer place for our community, even when times get tough.

My intention is to have a positive impact on our community by making healthcare more accessible to trans and nonbinary people across the U.S. After my own work in Physical Therapy, and after my own research on how our community navigates the healthcare system, I have been able to see the gaps where our community needs aren’t being met. Because of my lived experience in different pockets of San Diego, I’ve been able to assess the real, everyday issues that our community faces. I hope to play my part in leading change in our community by continuing to be involved in local events and mutual aid. Meanwhile, my long-term plan is to graduate, get my degree, and pass the board license exam in order to serve our community. This process should take about three years, and I feel confident in leading change in the physical therapy field as one of the few trans physical therapists of color in North County. I plan to remain dedicated to a community-oriented vision, where trans and nonbinary people can safely and comfortably get the care they seek – while being seen and treated with nothing less than respect. My life goal is to help our community heal and lead happy and healthy lives in the community.

Jeffrey D. Shorn + Charles S. Kaminski Scholarship

Donor: Charles Kaminski

Roberto Hernandez Rodriguez | he/him

Roberto Hernández Rodríguez is currently pursuing an M.A. of International Affairs at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego. Originally from Tijuana (México) and as a “gay transfronterizo”, he is deeply interested in exploring the political, economic and social dynamics of his cross-border culture. Roberto holds a B.A. in International Relations from El Colegio de México, a premier social science research institution in Latin America. His current academic focus is on economic development and managing international public policy projects, aimed at bridging the socio-economic divides between the Global North and the Global South. This summer, Roberto will intern at UNESCO’s world headquarters in Paris (France), contributing to the unit focused on the cultural and historical heritage of Latin America and the Caribbean region.

Raised in Tijuana, Mexico, I’ve come to embrace my identity as a gay man, a journey that has deeply influenced who I am today. At the age of 23, as a first-year Master of International Affairs student at UC San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy, I look back on my life with a sense of pride and deep reflection. Acknowledging my identity as both gay and transfronterizo was a path laden with challenges and trepidation. Living so close to the border, I was acutely conscious of the glaring disparities between the U.S. and Mexico—disparities that extend beyond geography and manifest in the economic and social realms. These experiences have enriched my understanding of identity, culture, and the intricacies of international relations, and they continue to inform my academic and personal growth as I delve into the world of economic development.

It was only upon moving to Mexico City at age 18 for university that I could truly express my identity as a gay man. This significant change marked a new chapter in my life. I chose to study international relations, spurred by a need to understand the social and economic disparities that I had observed at the U.S.-Mexico border. However, my curiosity extended beyond just disparities; I was fascinated by the way institutions, societal attitudes, and perceptions could influence the freedoms and actions of individuals across different cultures worldwide. This exploration was as personal as it was academic. I aimed to comprehend the subtle forces that shaped not only my own life but also those of countless others. My university journey did not just sharpen my academic skills; it also helped me grasp my role in the world as a proud, gay Mexican.

As an undergraduate at El Colegio de México (COLMEX), I was privileged to be a founding member of the university’s first collective championing representation and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community—Todes COLMEX. As a student from outside the capital, I devoted myself to the collective’s mission, supporting peers from more conservative regions of Mexico. We cultivated a space where individuals could freely explore and affirm their sexual orientation and preferences. This endeavor was about more than support; it was about creating a unified community striving for shared goals of representation and equality. Our establishment of the first sexual diversity association at COLMEX marks a significant achievement within the social sciences and humanities in Mexico and Latin America. Our work with Todes COLMEX and coordination with LGBTQ+ collectives from other Mexico City universities have been crucial in advancing the discourse on queer issues in academia. Now, in my role at QUIPS, GPS-UC San Diego’s LGBTQ+ student association, I continue to champion LGBTQ+ representation and inclusion. As the Director of Communications and Advocacy, I am committed to fostering dialogue, shaping narratives, and advocating for our graduate community. This role enables me to transform my experiences into impactful actions that contribute to creating a more inclusive environment for my cohort and beyond.

My dedication to supporting my community manifests in two fundamental ways. Professionally, my focus is on creating transnational initiatives between Tijuana and San Diego, aimed at bolstering political and economic collaboration to improve life on both sides of the border. I am especially intent on developing projects and policies that address the inequalities affecting LGBTQ+ minorities. In collaboration with institutions and NGOs from both the U.S. and Mexico, I strive to assist queer youth from Latin America’s marginalized communities in reaching their professional potential. Personally, my passion for literature is another avenue through which I seek to effect change. As I finalize my debut novel—a story of a romance between a soldier and a journalist set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution—I am reminded of the transformative power of storytelling. Literature and the arts, I believe, can foster more welcoming, diverse, and inclusive societies. With this belief, I pledge to utilize my capabilities as an international relations professional and a writer to harness and highlight the rich potential of our vibrant queer community, painting a canvas of change and possibility.

Trischman Family Scholarship

Donor: Trischman Family

Lucy Shen | she/her

Lucy will be graduating from Westview High School, and will be studying biomedical engineering at Columbia University’s School of Engineering in the fall on a pre-med track. Just as she helped create diversity in her school’s robotics program via the diversity committee and outreach efforts by recruiting students of different ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and other underrepresented backgrounds in STEM to join, she hopes to use this experience to continue promoting diversity and inclusiveness on her college campus and beyond as a way of giving back to the community.