How will 2025’s brightest LGBTQ grads change the world? The Point Foundation — the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ scholarship fund — is betting big on their potential. With 755 scholarships awarded this past year and a goal of 1,000 for next year, these graduates are ready to lead with purpose.
For example, Point refers to Alejandro, a Yale public policy grad who grew up crossing borders between Mexico and California. He says, “Being queer and Hispanic means navigating multiple worlds at once.” At Yale, he turned that experience into policy work that empowers first-gen queer students. Kelvin, a future surgeon from UCSF, says, “As a leader, I’ll reconstruct what’s been defunct.”
He also urges awareness about anal cancer prevention, a critical yet under-discussed issue in LGBTQ healthcare. Kelsey, a social welfare grad, wants to build resourceful and sustainable communities, starting with offering a check-in to a friend suffering from a breakup, to offering fresh food from a community garden. At Yale, Sofia found her voice in queer business advocacy and her passion for investing in climate tech.
Gustavo, who studied political science, dreams of becoming a lawyer to protect LGBTQ rights. Studio art graduate Raine says, “Art can shift what feels immovable.” Their creative activism calls out the inequities in higher education funding that leave many queer students behind. And Kawena, who studied Hawaiian-Pacific Studies, says the previous generation opened the door for them and hopes the next generation will walk through it fearlessly.
From classrooms to courtrooms, gardens to galleries, these graduates ensure that they’re not just stepping into the world — they’re reshaping it. With the attacks we are witnessing in 2025, our new graduates will lead the LGBTQ community into a new world.
