Honoring the courage of LGBTQ Youth as they enter college.
The Joshua Dunning Powell (JDP) Scholarship is intended to help Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender or Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) students who are in need of financial support to defray the cost of a college education, which for many can seem an insurmountable obstacle to success. The Pride Center believes these students should not be further disadvantaged as they prepare for the future.
Background on Scholarship: With the recognition that LGBTQ youth often face tough and complicated challenges in their high school years, local philanthropist Joshua Dunning Powell approached the Pride Center in the fall of 2009 with a proposal to support and encourage LGBTQ youth in the Capital Region. In collaboration with the Pride Center, Mr. Powell founded the Pride Center Scholarship Program to assist LGBTQ youth by publicly recognizing the particular challenges they face and rewarding their successes. Since 2010, sixteen awards have been given to local LGBTQ high school seniors, ranging in geography from Glens Falls to Hudson, and entering a range of colleges from Skidmore to SUNY Plattsburgh.
2012 JDP Scholarship Application
The 2012 Joshua Dunning Powell Scholarship for LGBT Youth is now available to download. Please help us spread the word to every eligible young person in the Capital Region!
Successful applicants will be LGBTQ youth who have particularly distinguished themselves by their efforts in their high schools and/or communities and who intend to continue their work on behalf of the LGBTQ community during their college careers.
All application materials (official high school transcript or GED scores, completed application and essay, proof of acceptance into an accredited institution, and 3 letters of recommendation) are due IN ONE PACKET OF MATERIALS by Friday, April 13, 2012. Return to:
Pride Center of the Capital Region
c/o Scholarship Committee
332 Hudson Avenue
Albany, NY 12210
Please direct any questions to Program Director Curran Streett at (518) 462-6138 or cstreett@capitalpridecenter.org.
2011 Scholarship Recipients:
The Pride Center of the Capital Region and the Joshua Dunning Powell Scholarship committee are proud to present the 2011 Scholarship recipients! Exceptional applicants came from all over the Capital Region seeking an award from the Joshua Dunning Powell Scholarship for LGBTQ Youth. Below are the profiles of the 2011 Scholarship recipients:
Victoria Clo
Victoria graduated from Albany High School and plans to attend SUNY Plattsburg in the fall. She intends to major in Elementary Education, with the goal of teaching Pre-K to 3rd grades in the future. Victoria has been involved with many of the Pride Center’s programs, including the Queer Youth Chorus and the Youth Group. She works at the New York State Museum, was a camp counselor for the Boys and Girls Club and volunteered with the AIDS Walk and numerous athletic, academic and artistic functions at her school.
Alicia Hagadone
Alicia is a graduate of Gloversville High School who will attend the Culinary Institute of America, with the aspiration of becoming an executive chef in New York City. She was a strong advocate in her high school for LGBT students and people experiencing discrimination. She worked with the school Gay-Straight Alliance to increase the visibility of the need for stronger protections in schools. She is looking forward to continuing this work in the future.
Collin Kather
Collin is an Albany High School graduate planning to attend Hunter College in the fall. There he plans to study Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, with the hopes of becoming an international linguist traveling to promote peace. In high school Collin was an active participant in the Gay Straight Alliance, serving as its student advisor his senior year. He was also actively involved in theater, starring in productions at the Albany High School and Park Playhouse.
Estelle Kline
Estelle graduated from Shaker High School where she was the Gay Straight Alliance student advisor for two years in a row, and excelled in art and music. She was involved with GLSEN, and spoke out on many occasions about the need for LGBT protections in schools. She will attend the Maryland Institute College of Art in the fall, with the aspiration of continuing her activism through artistic expression.
Evan LaFortune
Evan is a graduate of Plattsburgh High School, who moved to the Capital Region in search of a more accepting environment. He plans to attend Hudson Valley Community College in the fall to pursue a degree in fine arts. His two passions are art and writing, and while in school he was involved in the debate team, theater and his Gay Straight Alliance. He volunteers with the Albany Public Library and the Addictions Care Center of Albany. He has been involved with Pride Center programs, and looks forward to more involvement with the LGBT community in the future.
Sierra Monroe
Sierra is a 2011 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School who will attend the University of Vermont in the fall. Sierra plans to pursue a degree in English at college with the hopes of becoming a journalist. In high school, Sierra was an active member of her Gay-Straight Alliance and was a regular participant in the National Coalition Building Institute workshops at her school to promote acceptance among faculty and students of diverse experiences.
Jared Pappas
Jared is a graduate of Niskayuna High School planning to attend Schenectady County Community College to study floristry. In high school, Jared was an active member of Visibility, the Gay-Straight Alliance at his school, even serving as its student advisor his senior year. He is looking forward to continuing his work for the LGBT community in college.
Adam Sanzone
Adam is a graduate of Troy High School planning to attend Hudson Valley Community College in the fall. He would like to study Political Science, with the hopes of working in government to advance LGBT equality. He is an intern with the Troy City Council, and has been involved with programs at the Pride Center, the Food Bank and Haiti Relief fundraising, among many other volunteer activities. He is also a member of the Albany Bombers gay hockey team.
Rachael Seider
Rachael is an Ichabod Crane High School graduate who will major in communications at Cazenovia College in the fall. She is a youth board member of Hudson Pride, has worked with the Human Rights Campaign and has volunteered for causes like homeless animals, hunger prevention and done work with Habitat for Humanity. Rachael is interested in becoming a journalist in the future to advance the causes she feels passionate about.
Margaret Weis
Margaret is a graduate of Shaker High School who plans to attend SUNY New Paltz. While her degree track is currently undecided, Margaret is certain she wants to pursue a career that will make a difference in the world we live in. In high school, she volunteered with the Pride Center, was involved with her Gay Straight Alliance and GLSEN and won numerous writing, arts and Russian contests.
The Joshua Dunning Powell Scholarship was created in 2010 by local philanthropist Joshua Dunning Powell to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) students who are in need of financial support to defray the cost of a college education. To date, this scholarship fund has made access to college easier for sixteen local LGBT youth. We cannot thank Mr. Powell enough for making this possible, and we wish all of the scholarship recipients luck in their first year of college!
Support the Scholarship!
The need to support LGBTQ youth has never been greater, so we invite you to donate to the JDP Scholarship Fund, and together, we can support even more LGBTQ youth as they embark on the next phase of their life. Donating to the JDP Scholarship Fund is easy and can be done multiple ways:
- Click here to donate via our secure webpage - in the Comment field note that you are donating to the Scholarship Fund.
- Call the Pride Center at 518-462-6138 and make your donation over the phone.
- Send your donation to the Pride Center, 332 Hudson Avenue, Albany, NY 12210.
