2007 POINT SCHOLARS

Jacob Breslow

University of California, Santa Cruz

Community Studies and Feminist Studies

For Jacob Breslow, being the only openly gay student as an eighth grader in his middle school in the Walnut Creek, CA was torture. Surrounded by hateful speech and ignorance, Jacob began to lose his self worth. Although his family was supportive, the anguish he internalized from the every day hate-speech at school caused him to attempt suicide twice. After leaving the hospital, Jacob became determined to work for positive change so that no one would have to go through what he went through. Jacob has since worked for numerous queer-rights organizations in the East Bay and in Santa Cruz, where he is currently double majoring in Community and Feminist Studies. Jacob is an avid public speaker and has led many anti-homophobia trainings in schools, correctional facilities and community groups. This summer, Jacob will embark on a six-month field study in the UK to study queer subjectivity and create a curriculum focused on queer positive representation. Upon graduation, he plans to attend graduate school to get his PhD and become a professor of queer theory. Jacob is dedicated to making education safe for all youth and looks forward to being an active and supportive educator.