Meet Our Scholars
Addison Smith
North Central Texas College
Sociology
She/Her/Hers
Community College
Wells Fargo Scholarship
Addison grew up in North Texas as the oldest of four children. She realized she was gay in sixth grade and was met with bullying, which resulted in her leaving public school. While she was in high school, she joined a secular LGBTQ youth group run by a local LGBTQ organization, Outreach Denton. In this group, she built a network of LGBTQ friends that she could relate to and was introduced to the concept of social work. Growing up in Texas, Addison saw the mistreatment of her LGBTQ friends and peers and attempts to pass discriminatory legislation in the state. She was inspired to become a social worker to provide people in her community with the resources and experiences that the LGBTQ youth group gave her. She does her part to help her community by volunteering at her local homeless shelter and participating in her school’s LGBTQ student group. She hopes to work with children and show them that they are not alone and that things can get better.