Hear directly from Point Scholars and Alumni.
Point Foundation helps our scholars develop the leadership skills they need to become leaders in their respective professions, communities, and society. Every year of their funding term, Point Scholars are required to initiate and complete a Community Service Project (CSP) that will positively impact the LGBTQ community. What’s up? My name is Madison Klementyn, but you can call me Maddie. I am […]
What college/university are you attending and what made you choose it? New York University (NYU); ever since I knew that NYU was a research university but also put a huge emphasis on the liberal arts curriculum I became interested. I wanted a university where I could explore both my passions for the basic and social […]
Throughout my life, I have always tried to follow my curiosity. I was a Freshman in high school the first time I ventured into the field of scientific research. Accompanying a family friend for the day in his laboratory, I was introduced to his work studying the effects of fresh water algae blooms in Arizona. […]
It has been repeatedly proven that LGBTQ people face disproportionate rates of poverty, mental health challenges, homelessness, and access to higher education. These challenges impede traditional four-year completion rates and 4.0 GPAs. In STEM (though this is less true in biological and social sciences), greater rates of discrimination and harassment mean LGBTQ students often change […]
Every other year, the Point community comes together for the National Leadership Conference (NLC). As a 2017 Scholar, the 2018 NLC in July was my first! The NLC is a delightful queer-focused time to come together with folks from across the Point family—people who are like-minded in our activism and passionate about bettering the situations […]
Growing up in the Midwest as a half-Japanese, closeted tomboy, I definitely didn’t see myself in anyone around my town, let alone anyone in the sciences. The first time I experienced the intersection of science and LGBTQ+ identity was from my high school chemistry professor. He was almost fired for outing and berating a girl […]
At my very first Point Foundation conference in 2014, I had the opportunity to hear Janet Mock speak. She introduced me to the concept of a ‘possibility model’- someone who reveals one possible way of being human in this world to you. After feeling a little lost at my school for the last couple years, […]
Though many people have their reservations about 2016, for me, I’ve been able to grow both as a student and budding professional. As someone who holds many marginalized identities, I’ve come up with my own way to describe my experience as a Queer Latinx Woman in STEM: “Angie in STEM.” 2016 has given me the […]
Thanks to Point Foundation, I attended the 3rd National Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) Conference at Google New York in late October. Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics is a national society dedicated to educating and fostering leadership for LGBTQA communities in the STEM fields. Until recently, I had not been very aware […]