Meet the 2012 Point Scholars

Pete Subkoviak

Johns Hopkins University
Policy and Leadership

Pete Subkoviak was born in Madison, Wisconsin to two loving, religious parents. He entered the world physically female but never identified as anything other than male.

From the age of 3, Subkoviak insisted he was a boy. At the time, mental health professionals knew little about gender identity and encouraged Subkoviak to change his identity. By age 10, he had become deeply depressed and suicidal. After several years and with the support of family and friends, Subkoviak finally began to physically transition, gained a second chance at life, and went after it with passion.

Subkoviak became a de facto public speaker during college, teaching medical and education professionals about the transgender community. He also interned for Sen. Russ Feingold. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin ‐ Madison, Subkoviak pursued a career dedicated to the public good, working on state and federal HIV policy for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. There, he led the Illinois Alliance for Sound AIDS Policy, a grassroots coalition of AIDS advocates, and sat on the citywide LGBT coalition to progress LGBT rights in Chicago. Subkoviak is now partnering with a local charity to create an innovative transgender employment program that would be the community's first dual housing and employment program.

Subkoviak is pursuing a Masters of Public Health degree with a concentration in policy and leadership at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.