New 2024 BIPOC Scholarship Awardees Announced

As LGBTQ students face decreased services and support nationwide, Point Foundation is increasing our class sizes to expand the number of Scholars we support with scholarships, mentoring, leadership programming, and an engaged  LGBTQ and ally community. This January, Point selected 192 new students to be awarded the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Scholarship. 

“In today’s political climate of shrinking protections for people who already face significant hurdles like systemic racism, Point is proud to expand our LGBTQ BIPOC Scholar support,” said Point Executive Director and CEO Jorge Valencia. “It’s vital that BIPOC students receive support like ours to succeed in higher education so they can go on to have an impact on their communities.”  

This cohort of BIPOC Scholars marks incredible growth from the original class of 24 students awarded in 2021. Point will award a second cohort of BIPOC Scholars this spring. BIPOC Scholarship recipients represent a percentage of BIPOC people in Point scholarship programs; of the 575 students in Point’s three scholarship programs this 2023-24 academic year, 86% are BIPOC.

This new class of BIPOC Scholars are leaders across the nation, studying in community colleges, schools, and universities. Many students, like Andraya Yearwood (she/ella/ela), say that Point’s funding and programmatic support are essential to her education and future leadership. 

“This scholarship will help to fund education-related expenses, as well as permit me access to programming and resources to support my academic, professional, and personal success for one academic year,” Andraya said. 

Andraya is a Nigerian (Igbo)-American transwoman studying Spanish language and literature, and race, gender, and class at North Carolina Central University. After gaining international attention as a Black transgender track and field athlete during her four years in high school, Andraya committed to advocating for and championing the rights of LGBTQ youth.  

 Andraya is joined by fellow BIPOC Scholar, Chris Mai (he/him) an Executive MBA student at the University of Virginia. Chris is committed to building stronger inclusive communities and creating a significant impact in the many roles he’s served across multiple technology industries. 

“As a first-generation Vietnamese-American LGBTQ executive, I am honored to be selected as one of Point Foundation's BIPOC 2024 Scholars,” Chris said. “Especially through my nonprofit work and now through my executive MBA education at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, I am extremely energized to continue advocating, fundraising, and advancing equal opportunities for all, especially those BIPOC LGBTQ individuals and foundations who support them.” 

Point’s BIPOC Scholars not only receive funding but also receive leadership programming and are connected to industry leaders across many different industries who can speak to their experience as BIPOC students and changemakers. Point seeks applicants for the BIPOC Scholarship twice a year; the upcoming application period will open Feb. 8.