ABOVE: Photo via ALSO Youth.
SARASOTA | ALSO Youth announced July 7 that the organization had awarded four scholarships to LGBTQ students in Sarasota and Manatee counties for use in the 2020-21 school year.
Crediting the generosity of the not-for-profit’s donors, ALSO shared in a press release that each student was awarded a $500 scholarship. Three will enter college as freshmen, two at Sarasota’s New College of Florida and one at Northwestern University in Illinois, and one will pursue their Master’s at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
LGBTQ applicants were required to be under the age of 22, reside in a county served by the organization and be enrolled at an accredited institution to be considered. ALSO’s executive committee reviewed each student’s academic achievements, financial need and LGBTQ advocacy throughout their review process.
“ALSO Scholarships are granted to young people who have shown some level of commitment to the LGBTQ+ community through their involvement at ALSO youth or their school’s [Gender and Sexuality Alliances, or] GSA’s,” ALSO Youth Executive Director James Robinson says. “In that respect, we are investing in the future leaders of our community and look forward to seeing how their advocacy and support will change the world.
“It is important that ALSO Youth be able to offer different types of support so that we reach as many different LGBTQ+ youth as we can,” he continues. “The scholarships give us the opportunity to reach those young people who are furthering their educations on the undergraduate or graduate levels.”
ALSO Youth has worked to empower LGBTQ youth and their allies since 1992, which it has done virtually in recent months in response to COVID-19. To learn more about the organization’s digital offerings, scholarship program and more, visit ALSOYouth.org.
