Meet the 2011 Point Scholars

The Point Foundation, the world's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students, has just named its class of 2011. The 34 graduate and undergraduate students awarded financial assistance this year are from places as disparate as Malaysia, Morocco, and Massachusetts — the qualities all these young people share is an amazing work ethic, an ability to overcome hardship, and an ambition to change the world for the better. Meet the class of 2011 below, and click here to learn more about the Point Foundation.

Mounia Abousaid
- from Rabat, Morocco
- pursuing a BA in philosophy at Columbia University

How do you feel your Point Scholarship will change or help your future?
There’s the obvious financial answer – I was raised by a single mother, and Point’s help will be invaluable in paying for college. However, the aspect of Point Foundation that I feel will affect my life the most is its community. I think that the mentoring, leadership training and friendships the Point Scholarship will make available to me will allow me to become much more involved in the LGBTQ community and a true queer leader.

In conjunction with Point, how do you wish to make difference in the LGBT community?
I wish I had a detailed plan. At this point, instead of a 12-point agenda of things to do to help the LGBT community, all I have is a series of lofty goals I’ve tried to work on and that I will continue to work on with Point’s help. I’d like to continue to work to make the schools safer for queer kids, through helping establish and sustain GSA’s. In conjunction with Point and its mission, I would generally like to help queer youth in every way I can: whether through volunteering at youth shelters or through helping Point fundraise. In addition, as a committed feminist as well as queer activist, I plan on conciliating both through work on sex education.