Kelsey Phipps, a student at Georgetown University Law, is one of 27 students nationwide to receive funds from the Point Foundation this year. (Blade photo by Henry Linser)
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AMY CAVANAUGH
Friday, July 04, 2008
Georgetown University Law student Kelsey Phipps, 28, says her sexual orientation inspired her to pursue a career in public service.
“A lot of folks would say that being LGBT would not have a bearing or impact in what they do everyday, but for me the experience has shaped my desire to be in public service,” she says. “I want to go do things that will help others, and a law degree gives you strong training for dealing with communities that are disenfranchised. It’s the area I think I can make a difference.”
Phipps is the recipient of a Point Foundation scholarship, which provides money to gay students. The foundation recently announced that it is offering funds for 27 undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students to further their studies. Since 2001, the Point Foundation has provided financial support, leadership training and mentoring to gay students who may have faced difficulties or marginalization because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Point Foundation has an annual budget of $3.5 million, of which 90 percent comes from individual donations and 10 percent from corporations and foundations.
Currently there are 90 Point Scholars enrolled in a college or university and 42 alumni who have graduated. Of those, a number have local ties, including two of the 2008 recipients, Phipps and Djamika Smith, who are attending school in the area.
Smith, 17, begins her studies in graphic design at the Maryland Institute College of Art this fall. She was born in Indonesia and moved to the U.S. when she was 7. She currently lives in Oregon.
“Growing up [in Indonesia] taught me about different cultures and lifestyles,” Smith says, “which carries over to being bisexual. People are the same no matter where they come from and what their sexual orientation is.”
She adds that because she is bisexual and bicultural, “I don’t think I fully can fit into one stereotype. People don’t think I’m Indonesian, since I’m half, and people think because I’m bisexual, I’m not really gay. It has been difficult for me.”
She no longer speaks to her father. Despite familial hardship (or perhaps because of it), she started a gay-straight alliance at her high school.
“I started the gay-straight alliance since there were some problems at my school with comments and homophobic remarks,” she says. “I tried to combat that by talking about it on campus.”
PHIPPS HAS ALSO been giving back, serving as the first woman co-chair of the Gay, Lesbian, and Allies Senate Staff (GLASS) Caucus. She works in Sen. Edward M. Kennedy’s (D-Mass.) office, and on the caucus “we work on visibility issues, making sure the Senate is a comfortable place for staffers to be out, and that staff is aware of issues affecting the community,” Phipps says.
It was a long road for Smith and Phipps to receive their awards. Jorge Valencia, executive director and CEO of the Point Foundation, says the application process is rigorous and highly competitive.
“We started this year with 3,700 individuals going through the application process, and we had 1,400 completed applications,” he says. “We did pre-selections and pared it to 250. Then we cut it to 75 and did phone interviews, before doing a final face-to-face interview with 38 of them. We selected 27 out of 1,400 to receive scholarships.”
The 27 winners receive an average of $13,200, but Valencia notes, “the amount scholars are given varies based on what their needs are in any year. The Point Foundation is the last element to fulfill their educational dream, and it can cover tuition or other needs.”
Criteria for receiving an award includes, “academic excellence, leadership, community involvement in society as a whole and in schools,” says Valencia. “We look for experience in leadership roles in the LGBT community, and we look for financial and/or emotional need.”
Some of those emotional needs are the result of applicants being cut off from family after coming out. Look no further than Maya Marcel-Keyes, daughter of former Illinois Senate and presidential candidate Alan Keyes. After coming out and being thrown out of her parents’ house, Maya applied for and received money from the Point Foundation.
Maya, however, did not go on to become a Point Scholar. In an e-mail from a Point Foundation spokesperson, it was revealed that “due to some very personal circumstances she did not immediately enter/stay in school at that time. Hence she was not able to become or continue to be a Point Scholar.”
POINT FOUNDATION SCHOLARS are supported with more than just money. One of the organization’s annual events is the summer leadership conference, which brings together alumni, scholars and notable speakers, who in the past have included lesbian Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), longtime activist David Mixner and former GLAAD executive director Joan Garry.
“We cover a variety of topics, including LGBT history, media training, budgeting, the community service project and mentoring,” Valencia says. “It’s an opportunity to have face-to-face training on leadership.”
The mentoring program, which pairs students with mentors who are professionals in each scholar’s respective field of study or who live in the same geographic area, is an important part of the Point scholarship program.
Smith looks forward to her relationship with her mentor, noting that, “right now I don’t know many gay adults, so I think my mentor will be someone I can talk to about that. It’s important to have an older role model.”
David Howard, 33, is an attorney in Atlanta who has been working as a mentor since 2006. He first heard about the Point Foundation in mid-2005 and became a mentor one year later.
“I looked on their web site and gave them money, but after clicking around, I saw that they were seeking mentors, so I applied,” Howard says.
Howard’s mentee, Scott McKee, is studying chemical engineering.
“It’s not exactly in line career-wise with an attorney,” says Howard. “[Being a mentor] is more about having someone who can be there for the mentee, who can offer advice, as opposed to just necessarily providing referrals for career counseling.
“We have the advantage of being in the same city so we’re in touch every other week,” says Howard of his relationship with McKee. “We stay in touch by e-mail, meet once a month in person. He comes to my house for dinner with my partner and I, or we go out to dinner, or meet up for lunch.”
Though the benefits of mentorship for the scholars are apparent, Howard says that the experience of being a mentor is rewarding.
“For me, it’s the satisfaction of knowing that someone who might not have someone looking out for him has someone,” he says. “I’m not a parent figure for him, but I went to school away from home like Scott did, and it would have been nice to have someone who understood what I was going through, not just in terms of college classes or career, but LGBT issues. I know what he’s going through and can give advice on relationship issues and have years of experience.”
Mentorship and the foundation’s other programs are filling an important gap for gay and transgender students, Valencia says.
“The dropout rate [of gay and transgender students] is three times that of the national average and twice as many LGBT students report they aren’t going to pursue higher education because of harassment or violence in high school,” he says. “The Point Scholars have defied this. They are committed to academic excellence and leadership.”
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