How 2025's brightest LGBTQ+ grads hope to change the world

The Point Foundation Class of 2025

For over two decades, the Point Foundation has provided scholarships to LGBTQ+ and ally students who are seeking to make a difference in their planned career fields, communities, and the world.

In the past academic year alone, Point provided 755 scholarships to this next generation of leaders (and they hope to expand this number to 1,000 next year). Ahead, hear from eight Point Foundation scholar graduates about what they've learned from their experiences and the impact they want to make.

Learn more about the Point Foundation's vital work at pointfoundation.org.

The art in this piece was assembled by digital photo editor Nikki Aye. All images courtesy of the Point Foundation.

Alejandro, Public Policy

How do you hope to change the world?”
I grew up between Mexico and California, crossing borders that shaped who I am today. Being queer and Hispanic means navigating multiple worlds at once — something I've learned to embrace rather than simplify. These intersecting identities have become my greatest asset, informing both my perspective and my purpose.

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
At Yale, I deepened my grassroots work through a policy lens. My coursework, from democratic accountability to political campaign strategy to AI ethics, taught me how institutions operate, but also how they exclude. I brought that perspective to my role as graduate coordinator at the Yale LGBTQ Center, where I helped execute programs that affirm and empower queer students, especially those navigating university as firsts in their families or fields. Our identities don't disappear when we enter elite spaces — they get challenged. Real change requires more than being seen; it demands institutional commitments that actually keep us safe.

What's one issue you've learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
What's become clear to me is that LGBTQ+ students need support that lasts — not just for coming out, but for staying out and rising. Whether in undergrad or grad school, queer students deserve mental health care, affirming mentorship, and financial resources. We shouldn't have to choose between being out and being okay. And while the politics around us may shift, our determination cannot. We're here. We're brilliant. And we can pass laws, earn our degrees, and help build communities across borders where no one has to question whether they belong.

Kelvin, Medicine

How do you hope to change the world?
I want to reshape systems to reflect the people they serve. Not just with representation, but with responsibility. As a surgeon, I’ll excise what’s malignant. As a leader, I’ll reconstruct what’s been defunct. That means centering the voices that have been ignored, creating spaces where dignity isn’t conditional, and showing that excellence doesn’t require assimilation. Change starts when we stop asking permission to exist and start designing systems where more of us can thrive.

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
My education gave me clarity. Brown undergrad taught me to ask why. UCSF School of Medicine taught me what happens if I don’t. These places sharpened my analysis and forced me to confront how power moves. More importantly, they gave me the language and leverage to do something about it. I don’t just see problems in the system. I see ways to fix them, and the responsibility to try.

What's one issue you've learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
Anal cancer prevention is one of the most urgent and under-discussed health issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, men who have sex with men, as well as people living with HIV. All face significantly higher risks, yet conversations around screening and prevention remain limited. The stigma surrounding our bodies leads to silence, and that silence has consequences. HPV vaccination saves lives. So does routine screening.

Kelsey, Social Welfare

How do you hope to change the world?
This is such a big question, but it is also something I spend a lot of time thinking about. On the broadest scale, building resourced and sustainable communities and shifting from a punishment and isolation-based culture to one of accountability and community.

I hope to change the world, or at least the pieces of the world that I touch, in little ways too. Offering check-ins to a friend who is struggling with a break-up. Supporting my family members in communicating more openly and honestly. Tending to the community garden my partner and I have for us and our neighbors to access fresh fruits and vegetables. Creating space for my clients to process complex feelings and share experiences they haven’t been able to externalize before.

I hope all of these actions, added up over a lifetime, contribute to changing the world in the way that a drop of water contributes to a raging river or the vast ocean. It may be small, but every drop adds up.

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
After my undergraduate studies gave me the skills and experience to figure out what I was good at, and how I could use my strengths to contribute to strengthening communities, I set out to work in social services in Los Angeles.

But the pay for social service workers without a master’s degree was not enough for me to live off of. I thought about law school, but I wanted more flexibility to work around the system. I landed on an MSW program because of the flexibility it offers to work across policy and direct service contexts.

Now, I have the ability to take care of myself financially, and so I can sustain this work longer. Through my MSW program, the support from professors, lessons from student organizing, and my clinical experience have transformed me and encouraged me to move in alignment with my values and vision. I feel more confident in my ability to use my skills to do my part in reducing the harms of the current system, and in moving toward a more liberated future.

What's one issue you've learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
Rather than focusing on any one of the many issues impacting LGBTQ+ people — racism, healthcare access, mental health, transphobia, homophobia, physical health, discrimination, homelessness, educational access, bullying, etc. — I think considering the context of how widely spread all of these issues are and continue to be is really important. Just because there have been improvements in legal rights and cultural visibility over the past couple decades does not mean that LGBTQ+ people are not facing many of the same issues we’ve always faced. In fact, the research shows us exactly that. Despite improvements over the past two decades, younger LGBTQ+ people continue to experience adverse health outcomes and similar levels of stigma felt by older LGBTQ+ people.

Sofia, Ethics, Politics, and Economics

How do you hope to change the world?
During my time at Yale, I got really involved with LGBTQ+ advocacy. I served as President of the Yale Undergraduate LGBTQ+ Business Alliance and also became very involved with the Out For Undergrad Business Conference, which supports LGBTQ+ undergraduate students who are interested in pursuing careers in business. I’d really love to continue this work throughout my career. I have found it incredibly meaningful and a way to give back, very similar to the way that the Point Foundation invested in me. I also want to change the world by helping to invest in the technologies that can help us achieve some of our most ambitious climate goals. I’m particularly interested in agricultural technology, which can help us reform our food systems to more efficiently feed growing populations.

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
There are so many ways my education has helped empower me. For starters, my education at Yale gave me the environment and exposure to brilliant people I needed to learn how to read critically, to think expansively, and to develop thoughtful ideas — and that has just been absolutely indispensable. I also have had the opportunity to take courses that helped me develop my passions. For example, I took a class on climate tech ventures that helped me develop my interest in investing in climate technology. Additionally, Yale provided the resources and network for me to get involved with incredible extracurriculars that further allowed me to develop my interests, like the Yale Sustainable Consulting Collective and, of course, the Yale Undergraduate LGBTQ+ Business Alliance.

Gustavo, Political Science

How do you hope to change the world?
I hope to change the world as an advocate and a communicator. I have found my passion in the law, and believe deeply in its power to transform communities and protect our most vulnerable. It is through diligent scholarship and emphatic advocacy that we won our right to sexual privacy (Lawrence v. Texas) and to marry who we love most (Obergefell v. Hodges). And as I graduate, I hope to carry the torch of so many advocates who lead with empathy and speak with clarity. The law is built upon the voices of many — and it is only when those many are represented that our democracy can thrive.

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
I view my education not only as a means of social mobility but as a vessel through which I can learn about and pursue justice. I grew up attending a public school in Central Florida, the grandson of Cuban immigrants — by all means, I never thought I’d be at Yale; and yet, I am aware that these past four years have been an extreme (and lucky) privilege. I know so many bright, amazing, and talented LGBTQ+ students from my town in Florida, and know the difference we could all make if we had access to the same resources I have been lucky enough to have. In short, I want to speak and fight for them — and as I move forward through law school, it remains my education which has grounded me, not only in the communities I remain close to, but in empowering others through my work

What's one issue you've learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
Over the last half-century, advocates have fought tirelessly to ban the practice of conversion therapy — a pseudoscientific and deeply dangerous practice which 19 states now prohibit. This past March, however, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a case (Chiles v. Salazar) in which the Alliance Defending Freedom (a deeply conservative group that consistently challenges LGBTQ+ protections) is alleging that Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy is unconstitutional. Specifically, they argue that the law infringes on the religious freedom of so-called “therapy” practitioners. If the court overturns Colorado's law (thereby jeopardizing laws in 18 other states), it will put thousands of vulnerable LGBTQ+ youth at risk of profound and scarring abuse. I choose to highlight this issue because it shows the power of litigators and courts to shape our lives profoundly — and often in the shadows of bureaucracy and legalese. If you have expertise in the law or an interest in pursuing it, I encourage you to get involved in the fight. We are all interconnected — and when we fight for each other, we all win

Raine, Studio Art

How do you hope to change the world?
I hope to change the world through art, in my creative practice, and by uplifting the voices of others. I aim to create experiences that make people feel seen, heard, and deeply human. I want these moments to reverberate beyond their immediacy, reminding us that we can move differently. We already hold the tools to shift what feels immovable

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
Art education offers an alternative framework to the conventional. I’ve witnessed my peers and professors impact countless spaces: education, advocacy, organizing, and artist-run initiatives. Artists offer unique ways of seeing; they tilt the frame, flip the script, and often shake us back to reality. I’m empowered to make change through creative means.

What’s one issue you’ve learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
Many queer students, like myself, rely on federal student loans and Pell Grants to make higher education accessible. Higher education is not just a path to opportunity; it’s a space to better ourselves and, in turn, the world at large. LGBTQ+ students already face disproportionate barriers to accessing higher education.

Kawena, Hawaiian-Pacific Studies

How do you hope to change the world?
I hope to change the world by planting seeds of advocacy that will sprout into a new generation of changemakers. The previous generation opened the door for us, and my hope is that the next generation will be able to walk through fearlessly — without hesitation, without compromise. You may not remember my name, but you will remember the work I have done — the impact I leave behind, the voices I uplift, and the movement I help propel will speak for itself.

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
Education has empowered me to change the world by teaching me to seek knowledge from all sources — whether from books, lived experiences, or the wisdom passed down through generations. True change doesn’t happen from the sidelines; it requires stepping into spaces where decisions are made, challenging norms, and making an impact at the core. In order to build the future we envision, we must be willing to be on the ground, actively shaping it.

In Hawaiʻi, we have a Hawaiian proverb: Ua lehulehu a manomano ka ‘ikena a ka Hawaiʻi — great and numerous is the knowledge of the Hawaiians. This wisdom reminds us that education is not just what we learn in formal settings, but also the understanding we gain from our ancestors, our communities, and our own experiences. By embracing both traditional and contemporary education, we can navigate systems while holding firm to the legacy of those who came before us. It is through this balance—respecting ancestral wisdom while challenging the present — that we create lasting change.

What's one issue you've learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
My work in affordable housing has shown me that housing is more than just a basic need — it’s security, dignity, and a foundation for opportunity. Without stable housing, LGBTQ+ individuals face greater risks in healthcare, employment, and overall well-being. Addressing this crisis requires policies that prioritize inclusive and affordable housing, support services tailored to LGBTQ+ experiences, and a collective commitment to ensuring that no one is left without a safe place to call home.

Warren, Political Science

How has your education empowered you to change the world?
My parents always encouraged me to learn new things and use that information to benefit individuals and communities that needed it the most. In 2025 especially, we must combat misinformation with facts that uplift rather than weaken vulnerable communities. Completing my Bachelor’s degree was the first step in my long journey of uncovering the truth about people like me, specifically LGBTQ+ people. While LGBTQ+ people have been perceived as “new” or even sometimes as a political agenda, the history of people like myself has extended throughout centuries of our world’s history, and it shows that we are meant to be here in this world, and we serve a purpose

What's one issue you've learned about that impacts LGBTQ+ people (and they should know about)?
As I prepare to begin law school, I’ve had a lot of conversations with people about what I want to use my law degree for. When I tell people that I hope to aid in achieving legal equality for LGBTQ+ people, they often respond with questions on what LGBTQ+ still requires to achieve full legal equality. The answer to that question is complex. In states like Illinois and California, for example, LGBTQ+ are protected under numerous sectors of civil rights law. However, LGBTQ+ people in the South are still experiencing hurdles to the legal protections that many LGBTQ+ people living in progressive cities take for granted.