Four local gay men were recently awarded scholarships to pursue their educational goals, as part of a program that has now entered its second decade.
The 2015 Jonathan Lax Scholars were honored at a reception Oct. 9 at William Way LGBT Community Center. The scholarship program, administered by Bread & Roses Community Fund, marked its 20th anniversary.
It was conceived in 1994 by its namesake, a pioneering entrepreneur and LGBT and HIV/AIDS activist. In the past 20 years, Bread & Roses has awarded more than $700,000 to 160 men through the program.
Scholarships range from $4,000-$8,000 for gay men pursuing undergraduate, graduate or professional degrees who live in or attend school in the region.
“Jonathan’s vision was to create opportunities for gay men to pursue higher education and engage in activism,” said Casey Cook, executive director of Bread & Roses, noting that, while the program has remained committed to that principle, the type of work the scholars are involved with has evolved with the changing LGBT community. “The program hasn’t changed tremendously in the last 20 years but the environment around us and the nature of the activism has. One theme we’ve been seeing in recent years is a commitment among the scholars to trans liberation and trans justice.”
This year’s scholars are: Jacob Adens-Cooke of Morehouse College; John Christopher, a pre-med student at Thomas Jefferson University; Jordan Ostrum of Ursinus College; and Ibrahim Vicks of Temple University.
“They were all true to the vision Jonathan had for the scholarship,” Cook said of the awardees. “Each of them is a really strong scholar and activist.”
The four were selected by a committee that includes original members Chris Bartlett, Polly O’Keefe and Petros Levounis, as well as Earl Driscoll and new members Elicia Gonzales and Tiffany Thompson; this marked the first year without inaugural committemember Gloria Casarez, who died last fall.
The committeemembers review and score all of the applications that come in and meet to decide who to bring in for interviews. There were 11 applicants interviewed this year, and the committee then narrowed the pool down to the four chosen scholars.
Applications for the 2016 program open in November, with applications due Feb. 1.
For more information, visit www.breadrosesfund.org.