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Press Release, September 9, 2003

Point Foundation Press Release

September 9, 2003

The Point Foundation Awards $132,000 in College Scholarships

Invests in Ten Young Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Leaders When their Families and Institutions Will Not

SAN FRANCISCO, September 9, 2003 - The Point Foundation announced today that it has granted $132,000 in scholarships to ten American college students as an investment in a better world for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The Point Foundation provides financial support, mentoring and hope to meritorious students who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Our vision is simple: We nurture and help prepare lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders to create more respectful and accepting institutions for future generations," said Bruce Lindstrom, who, along with his life-partner, Carl Strickland, co-founded The Point Foundation in 2001 as the nation's first scholarship fund for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students and their allies not tied to a region, corporation or educational institution.

Lindstrom added, "The Scholars we've identified this year are outstanding examples. Because of stigma, discrimination or loss of family support, their struggles are very real, and that is exactly where The Point Foundation makes the critical difference. Without financial and mentoring help for each, we are convinced their full potentials would have been lost."

The Foundation's "Point Scholars" are chosen for their demonstrated leadership, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, involvement in the LGBT community, and financial need-which is often caused by families and institutions withholding support in response to their "coming out" as LGBT individuals. This year's Point Scholars are academic stars representing diverse educational fields, classes, gender and gender identities, sexual orientations, racial backgrounds, and geography.

"Without the Point, I would have faced impossible debt following graduate school -- a debt very likely to erase my dream of teaching, writing, and developing programs for gay and transgender young people," said new Scholar Cris Beam. "With the Point Foundation, I can proudly be myself -- an out lesbian writer and leader -- and can be rewarded for the social work that I believe is critical."

Other Point Scholar's career goals include serving as civil rights attorneys, Members of Congress, nonprofit executive directors, scholar-activists, and high-level university administrators. The Foundation also provides mentoring and a network of contacts for college and career support to promote both academic and professional success.

Undergraduate scholarship recipients include:

Rohan Barrett, a sophomore majoring in Education at the University of Illinois-Chicago, IL;

Daniel Bassichis, a sophomore majoring in Public Policy and Sociology at Brown University, RI;

Alyn Libman, an entering freshman at The University of California-Berkeley, CA;

Lawrence Robinson, a senior majoring in Political Science and Religious Studies at Claremont-McKenna College, CA;

Christopher Scoville, a junior majoring in Public Policy with a Sexuality Studies Certificate at Duke University, NC;

Brian Simons, a sophomore majoring in Journalism at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, NJ; and,

Robert Steele, a sophomore majoring in Business and Commerce and Pre-Law in the Honors College at Colorado State University, CO.

Graduate student scholarship recipients include:

Cris Beam, a master's candidate in Fine Arts in Nonfiction Writing at Columbia University, NY;

Julie Schell, a doctoral candidate in Higher and Postsecondary

Education at the Teachers College, Columbia University, NY; and,

Travis Wright, a doctoral candidate in Human Development and Psychology at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, MA.

Over the last two years 630 openly LGBT students have applied to become Point Scholars. "The Foundation's number one priority today is to grow our donor rolls so that the supply of scholarships meets the overwhelming demand and need of LGBT students," said the Foundation's executive director, Dr. Tim Wilmot. "Our generous community appears ready to support this work, and to make a real difference for future generations of LGBT people."

The Point Foundation is a publicly supported, 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Last year $125,000 in scholarships were awarded to eight scholars--six of whom are continuing their educations, and two of whom have graduated with highest honors. Prospective donors and applicants can learn more about these Scholars and The Point Foundation at www.thepointfoundation.org.