Meet the 2011 Point Scholars

Jeremy Bearer-Friend
- from Providence, R.I.
- pursuing a JD at Stanford Law School

How do you feel your Point Scholarship will change or help your future?
The Point Foundation is making it possible for me to go to law school. Since I'm financially independent and don't get support from my parents, I wouldn't be able to get a J.D. without also accumulating over $100,000 of debt. Thanks to Point, I can graduate from law school and still pursue a public interest career.

In conjunction with Point, how do you wish to make difference in the LGBT community?
I believe tax policy can play a transformative role in making schools safer for LGBT youth. How can we expect teachers to effectively intervene in bullying when they're managing a class of 25 to 40 students? Bullying is never acceptable, but it's much harder to stop in overstuffed classrooms with over-extended teachers. Improving our school system requires a robust public finance infrastructure, something that the Point Foundation is supporting me to work on.