2020 Awards Celebration
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The 2020 eQuality Scholars were honored at the 31st Anniversary Awards Celebration, our first virtual one, on June 19. An abridged version of the celebration is available on YouTube.
"Receiving the scholarship has been an amazing feeling to me, because…five years ago, I was in school being bullied…Fast forward to today, and now I'm receiving a scholarship for…fighting for our rights…Coming from a school…where I was being bullied and harassed on a daily basis, I didn't want that to happen to other students; so, I decided to become a leader and fight for those students. And not just those students, but the students who were still in the closet, …still trying to figure out their sexuality,…still trying to figure out their gender identity. I wanted to be the role model for them." "I was so fortunate to be the voice of so many kids in my high school that were silenced every single day with constant homophobia that was thrown at them. We were able to pull off the first ever school Pride event in Tulare County's history with more than eight LGBTQ organizations joining us for the celebration. Oh, and did I mention we only had two months to plan and execute this event? Yeah, we did that.…I would like to thank the scholarship donors and Collaborative for awarding me this huge opportunity once again. You guys helped a young, gay, immigrant, Latinx that came to this country with nothing but now is fighting for everything." "What this scholarship means to me is hope. Throughout high school, the work I did, both in and outside of my school's Gender and Sexuality Alliance, was done with the hope that I could make changes within my community so that a future generation could have it a little easier than we did. For so many people, including myself, a college education seems unattainable. But it's organizations like this one that give people that opportunity." "This scholarship not only allows me to continue further with higher education, but it has given me hope and strength, knowing that we must never give up, since we ourselves can create huge changes and be the support we all need." "I am so grateful for this scholarship and the opportunities it is going to give to me. It means so much to me…because it has reminded me that I am actually capable of generating a positive impact in both the LGBTQ community as well as the whole world.…This award has helped me understand that every ounce of energy that I put into creating change for the better, from organized activism to simply encouraging a supportive environment with my words and actions, it has all mattered." "Like many of the recipients here, I'm a first-generation college student and an immigrant, originally from Macedonia.…I'm dedicated to serving the health of our broader LGBTQ community, and especially to improve the mental health of LGBTQ youth.…By helping strengthen the community of LGBTQ medical students, we hope to make medicine a more inclusive space for queer health care workers and to make an impact on health disparities that face our community." "The scholarship allows me to continue focusing on working with LGBTQ community organizations to bring gender-affirming trans health care education and HIV/AIDS health education and awareness for communities of color. My goal is to educate and empower allies to join in the cause for gender-affirming health care advocacy and solidarity for marginalized queer communities." |
Sponsors
San Jose/Peninsula
Eric Hsu & James Chambers
Professors
Lecturers
“PG&E” refers to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation.
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