LGBTQ Students Head Back to School to Make a Difference

As the 2024-25 school year begins, students return to colleges, universities, and schools that may be more biased against LGBTQ students. This semester, states nationwide are enforcing new policies that target students’ education, LGBTQ services, and hiring and recruitment policies.

While 16 bills are taking effect in higher education campuses nationwide, an additional 500+ anti-LGBTQ bills are being considered in state legislatures, many of which directly affect LGBTQ students on campus. These bills impact college students in several ways:

• Anti-DEI Efforts: These efforts affect employee and program titles and have led to the closure of crucial LGBTQ student resource centers around the country.
• Altered Academic Offerings: Anti-LGBTQ and anti-DEI Policies remove classes from the available curriculum for students, limiting educational opportunities.
• Faculty and Staff Hiring Policies: Some bills alter hiring policies, stripping universities of practices that address institutional barriers based on race, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
• Student Recruitment Policies: These policies affect how schools recruit students, undermining efforts to create diverse and inclusive campuses.

Providing LGBTQ Scholarships

Point Foundation is committed to giving LGBTQ students the support they need and empowering them to thrive despite obstacles. Here is how just six of our 755 Point Scholars nationwide use Point’s support to fight back and build community resilience when LGBTQ rights are on the chopping block.

Meet the 2024-25 Scholars Standing Up for the LGBTQ Community

Fighting for Equal Rights

Rio Dennis (she/her) – Point Flagship Scholar with a Victoria’s Secret Scholarship
Georgetown University

Rio Dennis, from Jersey City, New Jersey, is a JD/MBA candidate at Georgetown University, focusing on constitutional law and economics. She has held numerous leadership roles at Georgetown and received multiple fellowships. Before returning to school, Rio worked at Goldman Sachs, where she co-founded the Client Experience Group DEI Council. With a background in economics from the Wharton School, Rio aspires to be a civil rights attorney advocating for equitable rights for people of color, women, and LGBTQ individuals.

Policy Development

Rehman Hassan (they/them) – Point Flagship Scholar with an Amazon Scholarship
Stanford University

Rehman Hassan, from Texas, is a passionate human rights advocate who has made a significant impact through their work with iCure, an organization they founded at age 11 to improve public health access and education. Recognized as a WHO Adolescent Champion and a UN Refugee Agency Young Champion, Rehman has consulted for various international organizations and authored numerous papers. They aspire to develop culturally competent policies to enhance the well-being of underserved communities. Rehman's policy and public health work aims to make education more inclusive and accessible for marginalized populations.

LGBTQ-Inclusive Research

JT Huynh (they/them) – Point Flagship Scholar with a TIAA Scholarship
University of California, Davis

JT Huynh is a first-generation Vietnamese-American and the first in their family to pursue post-secondary education. As a medical student, academic researcher, and Community Health Scholar at UC Davis School of Medicine, JT is dedicated to uplifting the voices of historically marginalized communities and advocating for their diverse healthcare needs. JT's research on health disparities faced by transgender youth experiencing homelessness informs their goal to improve health policies for transgender youth and create a more equitable, trans-affirmative healthcare environment.

Creating Safe Environments

Jessie Miller (she/he) – Point Flagship Scholar
University of Illinois, Chicago

Jessie Miller, a bisexual activist and scholar, founded the Bi+ Resilience Alliance for Violence Eradication (BRAVE) to combat bisexual domestic violence. She has served on the boards of the Bisexual Queer Alliance Chicago and the Bisexual Organizing Project in Minnesota. Jessie is currently pursuing a doctorate in sociology at the University of Illinois Chicago, researching bisexual health and queer criminology. She dreams of becoming a community college professor, fostering a supportive environment for future students. Jessie aims to create safe spaces and support networks for the bisexual community and address their health disparities.

Innovating Housing

Monisha “Mo” Pirela (she/her) - Point BIPOC Scholar
University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Monisha "Mo" Pirela is a recent graduate of Central Piedmont Community College and a native of New Bern, NC, currently residing in Charlotte, NC. She has held positions as the Student Equity Council's communications and public relations chair, been named an NC Scholar of Global Distinction, and been inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society. In addition to being named a Community College Global Affairs Fellow, Benjamin A. Gilman Scholar, Truist Honors Scholar, Fund for Education Abroad Alumni, and Levine Foundation Scholar, she also received the 2023 Charlotte Pride Champion of Pride Scholarship Award. Her academic focus combines architecture with social justice, aiming to impact societal structures locally and globally.

Thriving Together

Jacoby Spicer (he/him) - Community College Scholar with a Sallie Mae Scholarship
Monroe Community College

After returning to school in his forties, Jacoby gained a new perspective on education and prioritized LGBTQ community health and wellness.

Jacoby is pursuing an education in trauma-informed care, healthcare navigation, trans-specific service provision, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and ethics in the health, behavioral health, wellness, and nonprofit sectors. He believes in supporting each other to thrive together.

Join the Movement: Support LGBTQ Students

This fall, you can join these incredible scholars in advocating for equality in the 2024 elections. By using our collective power to protect our progress and advocate for equality, you can join us in creating a more inclusive and equitable world. Join Point and a coalition of LGBTQ organizations in taking the Pride to the Polls Pledge to Vote in 2024. Show up and vote for our future!