After eight years in the Army, the idea of leaving and starting my life again as an out trans woman was daunting to say the least. The Army was transitioning from “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, and transgender inclusion in the arm services was not even being considered as a realistic goal. At the time, I thought I was going back to school alone to gain skills for my professional transition. However, after applying to and being awarded with a Point Foundation Scholarship, I found myself with a new family of supporters and champions of me and my goals. Never had I had such an affirming and encouraging group of people cheering my every academic and professional goal. I can honestly say that I would not be where I am now without their encouragement and my mentor’s constant guidance throughout grad school and my job search. I cannot endorse Point enough for their support of me and my goals, and will forever be thankful to them for that.
The Point Foundation does amazing work. Not only does it provide financial support to LGBT students that would otherwise not be able to access education. It also gives them a sense of family, community and network. Point takes it very seriously to give a comprehensive support to each Scholar. In my case, it is because of Point that I have had access to great professional and personal opportunities. I would encourage LGBT students to apply and donors to continue supporting this great organization.
I'm currently a PhD-funded scholar with the Point Foundation. The Point Foundation has not only helped me fund travel expenses associated with conferences in my graduate work, but it has provided me with an invaluable community of peers and mentors of LGBTQ folks in STEM-- which is a hard community to find, period! Point's differentiating awesome-ness is that it goes beyond "just" helping LGBTQ students fund our educations. It also gives us and helps us create our own support networks that will help us go from "just getting to" the next step in our careers to thriving as a leader in our careers.
As an example, my first conference with Point I met two women who founded the LGBT professional network in my field. I previously knew them by name only, and now they are people I have had meaningful conversations with and who I will reach out to as I progress throughout my career. Such a connection would not have happened without the Point Foundation.
Point Foundation is one of the best non-profits I've had the pleasure of working with. In addition to supporting LGBTQ+ scholars financially, Point is dedicated to providing mentorship, networking, and long-term connections.
The Point Foundation is a phenomenal organization making a a true difference for some of the most vulnerable people in our nation, LGBTQ youth. I was a previous scholar and I'm now an alumna. I had the opportunity to reconnect with the members of Point at a recent leadership consortium and it was lovely to see how the organization has grown and continues to do inspiring work. This work is especially relevant in the current social and political climate of our country. Kudos, Point! Keep doing this vital work.
The Point Foundation helps LGBTQ scholars achieve their academic and professional goals and creates spaces for scholars to meet others in their community who are interested in bringing positive change to the LGBTQ community.
I am an alumni of the Point Foundation. This organization opened doors for me in terms of being able to afford my education but also contributing to my overall professional development by continually focusing on bringing me together (still today) with movers and shakers in my chosen field to learn and hone my leadership skills. There is no organization like the Point Foundation for supporting and mentoring professionals and scholars in ways that move beyond financial support to investing time, allowing space to develop, and being there along the way. This is an organization that I will for the rest of my time here on earth contribute my time and resources to. I urge you to do the same.
This scholarship foundation has played a key role in my academic, professional, and personal development as a queer person of color working in a STEM field. In addition to financial support, Point Foundation provides LGBTQ+ students with mentorship, leadership conferences, networking opportunities, and an invaluable nationwide community of brilliant scholars and alumni who continue to shape the world.
As a 17-year-old Texan high school student struggling with her LGBTQ identity, I was funded by the Point Foundation to help me pay for college during the 2008 financial crisis. Though the money was important then to help me pay for my education, what was even more invaluable was the sense of family and community that I received and am still a part of. At Point Foundation's regular leadership conferences, among hundreds of other insanely talented LGBTQ scholars and alumni, I learned how to express my sexuality confidently, navigate homophobia, and most importantly how to develop effective strategies for social justice activism in the real world. Now as an alumni, after 10+ years with the organization, I am so grateful looking back that I learned from the Point Foundation essential concepts I wasn’t taught in college, such as self-care for the prevention of mental illness in vulnerable populations and the importance of intersectional community-building. I could not recommend this organization enough for other LGBTQ folks seeking to liberate themselves and make a real difference in the world.
The Point Foundation provided me with a remarkably broad and passionate network of scholars, mentors, and other amazing folks. I met folks in my field (medicine/public health) as well as folks in every other field (e.g. humanities, arts, law, etc) who continue to be a source of support, collaboration, and excitement for LGBTQ issues.
I arrived to the US as an LGBT refugee, escaping a horrific persecution because of my ethnicity and sexual orientation. I was accepted into an ivy-league school but did not know how to pay for my expenses and how to navigate the US college system. Point Foundation helped me to cover my remaining expenses and connected me to a group of amazing mentors and scholars. Point Foundation helped me to become the first college graduate in my family and gave me skills to start my non-for-profit project to help other LGBT refugees. I am forever grateful to Point Foundation for helping me to turn my dreams into realities. Thank you, Point Foundation!
I happily volunteer at Point Foundation events because I enthusiastically support their mission to give college scholarships to LGBTQ youth. Attune to the needs of this group, Point recently expanded to begin offering help to LGBTQ youth at community colleges. I fully support this dynamic and vital organization.
I've had the pleasure and the honor to volunteer with Point Foundation twice. The work that Point Foundation does for LGBT youth - inspiring them, empowering them, motivating them - is truly moving. So many of these youth don't picture a picture a bright future for themselves. Point Foundation helps to ensure these youth have the chance to make their future better and, in the process, make a better world for all of us.
I am proud to say that without the support of Point Foundation, I would not have finished community college in a timely manner. There are no words to describe how grateful I am for the opportunity, to pursue a college degree in America.
As a first generation immigrant, I know I am setting the example for many LGBTQ individuals, who are willing to fight and sacrifice to succeed academically and professionally in today's world.
Once again, thank you so much for making my dreams come true. A myriad of educational and professional challenges lies ahead of me. However, I am determined to continue in this fight, to persevere, and to never give up.
Yours Respectfully,
Nelson J.
Not only did Point give me a scholarship for business school but it also provided me with a network of brilliant LGBTQ peers and mentors for advice, community, and activism. Very grateful to Point!
Without the Point Foundation's support, I would not have been able to pursue my dream of getting a PhD and becoming a professor. In addition to the funding, Point's ongoing nurturance and guidance throughout grad school along with a wondering relationship that I had with my Point mentor were seminal elements in achieving my goals and fulfilling my dream. After graduating, I still feel like I am part of the Point family and I committed to staying involved by helping fundraise and mentoring future generation of Point scholar. I do not exaggerate when I say that Point Foundation changed my life!
As a past employee for Point Foundation, it gave me the insight for the need of assistance in the LGBTQ community. It was rewarding to observe first hand how the organization has changed so many lives; from scholar to alumni and many success career stories. Without Point, these impressive and very smart students would not have the opportunity, as well as support to succeed.
Supporting college education for the LGBTQ community is profoundly important to me, as a lesbian who grew up in poverty but experienced upward mobility as a result of my engineering degree. Educating our community is vital and an effective long term approach to improving lives.
The Point Foundation brings together incredible people and helps build up our community inspiring ways.
I am proud to be a Point Foundation mentor and part of the community!
I got involved with Point more than 10 years ago because many of its scholarship recipients are not supported either emotionally or financially by their parents; in fact, many back then were rejected by their parents. I saw my gay son in every one of them, and it broke my heart. I felt I had to do something to fix it. I have served as Selections Chair as well as Board Chair and It has been extraordinarily rewarding: I’ve seen incredibly powerful, but often marginalized, young men and women graduate from their schools, become leaders in their fields. It has been wonderful to watch them grow and to know that we helped make that possible, not just by providing them with financial aid, but also by providing them with mentors and leadership training. Point's model of Scholarship granting not only allows our Scholars to reach their potential; it also produces leaders who will change the world!
- Shelley Fischel
I attended an event in early 2017 in NYC where current Point scholars, alumni and some of their new community college scholarship recipients spoke. I was very impressed with the drive of these young people to finish their degrees and do good in the world and how they spoke about the support Point Foundation was/had helped them do this.
