Generation Equality Scholarship Winners

The HRC Foundation today announced five winners of the Generation Equality Scholarship for LGBT and allied students who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to queer equality. The scholarships are part of HRC Foundation’s Youth and Campus Outreach Program, which aims to provide tools, facilitate connections and empower young people to fight for LGBT equality on campus and beyond. Over 1,000 applications were received from all 50 states. Due to the outstanding pool of applicants, the HRC Foundation decided to award five instead of the previously announced three $2,000 scholarships. Candace Gingrich, Associate Director of the HRC Foundation's Youth and Campus Outreach Program, had this to say about the selection:

“All of the applicants were incredibly talented and worthy. The Scholarship Selection Committee had many lengthy, difficult discussions prior to making the final selections. The five scholarship winners embody the passion and commitment to queer activism that will hasten the day when equal protection and full equality become reality for LGBT Americans.”

Recipients will have the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C. in October for HRC’s National Dinner and will be asked to share their college experiences by guest writing for HRC’s BackStory blog over the next two semesters. Short bios on the scholarship recipients follow: Ash Fisher Ash Fisher enters her fourth year at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts as an accomplished activist and actor. In fall of 2008, Ash co-founded BodyQueer, a group dedicated to advocacy and awareness around issues of eating disorders and body image in the queer community. Through Body Queer, she has organized on-campus events such as documentaries and collaborative murals about body image and gender identity. Marley Hamrick Marley Hamrick enters her first year at Colorado College with experience and success as a queer activist. Hamrick served for two years as Co-President of Spectrum Connection, Niwot High School’s (CO) Gay-Straight Alliance. While in this role, she successfully lobbied the St. Vrain Valley School District to add sexual orientation and gender identity to their non-discrimination policy. Alex Morse Alex Morse, a third-year student at Brown University, has a long history of involvement with the LGBTQ community. While a student at Holyoke High School (MA), Alex founded the Gay-Straight Alliance and later served as its President. He also established a non-profit, the Holyoke GLBTQ Task Force, in an effort to make his hometown a safer place for LGBTQ-identified people.  Arianna Trujillo-Robnett Arianna Trujillo-Robnett enters her second year of college at St. Edwards College in Austin, TX with grassroots experience of someone twice her age. While a student at Mt. Pleasant High School in San Jose, CA, she founded a social justice group – the Human Rights Club – focused on issues such as LGBT rights, HIV/AIDS, poverty and homelessness. Upon graduating from high school, Arianna jumped directly into electoral politics by first volunteering on the Obama for America campaign and then at 17 became the campaign’s youngest full-time staff member. Natalka Wiszczur Natalka Wiszczur is a second-year student at University of North Carolina – Asheville and is active both on campus and in the Asheville community. Since 2007, she has been the lead organizer for Tranzmission, a one of a kind project of Asheville Prison Books that supports queer and transgender prisoners by providing books and pen-pals. In addition to organizing fundraiser events for Tranzmission such as the queer prom in Asheville, Natalka has worked with activists from other regions interested in duplicating her work.  For more information about the winners and the Generation Equality Scholarships, visit: www.hrc.org/GenEQScholarshipWinners.