Hopke Foundation Scholarship

Have you ever heard anyone say "The pen is mightier than the sword"? You probably have. I know I've heard it a couple hundred times at least. No matter how banal it gets, though, it's a quote that's stuck with me. I guess you could say it's become kind of a personal mantra. In my mind, it means that peaceful words can always overpower violence. That's something you need to believe when you're queer in a small town. You have to convince yourself that by talking things out all the bullying will stop. But it won't. Bigots just won't coexist with people that they hate for no reason. Throughout high school, people have proved this to me over and over and over again. When you ask what my aspirations are, a million things come to mind. I could tell you about all of the stories floating around in my head that I would die to have put into paper, published, and distributed to the world. Or I could write about my dream of working in publishing. Getting the opportunity to read and edit new author's works to make our shared goal come true. But do you want to know what my biggest aspiration is? It's to get out of this town. I want to leave. I want to go somewhere I can grow, learn, and be exposed to diverse cultures, people, and places. I want to be set free from this small, hateful community. Don't get me wrong, we have a handful of wonderful people that live here. But it just isn't enough to combat the hate. I've grown as much as I can here. My mother and I have talked about this so many times. For a while, I wanted to be a teacher. Come back to Middleville after college and create a safe space for students like me. She told me that she loves me and that she thinks it's a beautiful idea. And then she told me that she doesn't want that for me. She wants me to leave. She said that this town is too small-minded for me to stay here. She said that the people here won't change because they don't want to. I realized what she meant in my sophomore year. That year I had been lucky enough to find some real friends. Other queer people like me who were trapped in a town that didn't want us. We were thick as thieves. Every day at lunch the group sat in our little alcove sandwiched between two rows of lockers. And almost every day we were relentlessly harassed by our classmates. We had food thrown at us, slurs yelled to our faces, insults tossed our way, and notes placed where we sat dictating how we were wanted dead. When I told my parents they wanted me to move. Change schools and leave, but I couldn't just abandon my friends. They would still have to face that every single day. So I decided we would face it together until we escaped this hellhole. That's how this scholarship would help me. It will enable me to leave this town behind and find somewhere I can be surrounded by love and light. A place where I don't have to keep my head down in the hallway. I'll miss the friends I've made and the few staff members who made me feel safe and welcome, but it's time for me to say goodbye.

For as long as I can remember I have loved country music. I went to my first concert at the age of two somewhere in Michigan. Since then, I have gone to concerts at county fairs, tiny stages in Grand Rapids, huge festivals in corn fields, and many more in between all over the country. While I have always had this love and drive for music, I unfortunately have no musical talent. However, I have been lucky enough to meet people on the business side of the music industry, and I have fallen completely in love with it. Through all of these shows, I have only seen three openly queer country artists through all the concerts I have attended. I aspire to make it so other queer country fans never have to experience this, and can know what it feels to see an artist singing songs they relate to. I will never forget seeing Lily Rose, an open lesbian artist, sing country songs to a full room of people who bought a ticket to see her. Screaming her songs with a bunch of other queer people who I know felt the same way was such a healing experience. I have gone on to see her eight times, and it truly never gets old I want the next generation of queer kids who also grew up on country music to have more than these three artists to look up to, listen to, love, and support. I want to make their music and concerts more wide spread and accessible so they can experience sooner than I did. My dream is to someday have my own record label in Nashville with only LGBTQIA+, disabled, BIPOC, and female artists. This will be a long way down the road, and I will have to fight hard to get there, but I believe that I can do it, and that the LGBTQIA+ community deserves this representation. With the help of this scholarship I will help pay for my college tuition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee where I plan to major in music business. I will fight for queer artists, and other queer people to hold space in the country music industry. I will work to make minority artists in the country music industry a common thing, so other queer country kids from small farming towns in Michigan have artists to listen to that sing about their experiences.

Growing up with two mothers in a country where diversity is not always valued has been a defining element of my life. My mother and father divorced, and my mother eventually fell in love with a woman. As the United States legalized same-sex marriage, they married, and I gained a second mother. This unique familial dynamic, however, caused difficulties as I navigated a society where not everyone understood or embraced same-sex partnerships. During my childhood, I noticed that my family structure differed from the conventional ones around me. The absence of peers who could truly relate to my situation made it challenging. I became aware of the skepticism and negativity directed at us by those who did not support or comprehend same-sex relationships. In the face of this adversity, I felt an innate responsibility to shield my mothers from the judgmental remarks and glances we encountered. This skepticism even influenced my choice of friendships, leading me to distance myself from those who seemed unsupportive. The complexities deepened when I discovered my bisexuality. However, high school emerged as a turning point, bringing a welcome change to my sense of belonging. Joining the school's gay-straight alliance club became a pivotal moment. It provided a platform where I could openly share my journey and struggles, finding solace in the realization that I wasn't alone. Beyond being a mere student group, the club transformed into a genuine community, offering me refuge in the shared experiences and hardships of others. My involvement with this newfound community extended beyond the club's boundaries. By actively participating in pride parades, I connected with numerous individuals who shared similar experiences. The LGBTQIA+ community, coupled with the unwavering love of my two mothers, became the cornerstone of my sense of belonging. Moreover, discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community persists, and the impact is often devastating. Hate crimes, violence, and mental health struggles claim lives every year. In this context, the significance of scholarships like this one cannot be overstated. They not only provide crucial financial aid but also foster a sense of support and encouragement vital for the well-being of LGBTQIA+ students. This scholarship holds profound importance for me in achieving my goals. It serves as more than just financial assistance; it represents an affirmation of the struggles I've faced and a recognition of the strength derived from my unique family background. With this support, I aim to pursue higher education, further contribute to the LGBTQIA+ community, and work towards a future where diversity is celebrated and embraced.

My favorite moments in my life come from being outdoors, whether it be swimming in Lake Huron or daily walks in the woods near my neighborhood. As I grew up, I became more scientifically aware of the importance of stable ecosystems and natural resources in providing for both plant, animal, and human life. My first forays into the digital world coincided with enhanced reporting on the negative effects of human development on the environment. As I began forging my individual identity and principles, I was heavily influenced by these circumstances, from the United States withdrawing from the Paris Agreement to Greta Thunberg’s climate strikes. I realized that I would inherit this world– a world of rampant pollution, vanishing forests and climate instability. Indeed, every week, record heat waves, floods, storms, and wildfires appear in the headlines; the effects of climate change are happening now. If past generations have conveniently decided to ignore this future, I now know that we can no longer afford to do so. And thus, a new generation of thinkers and doers is necessary to think critically about and combat the degradation of our world. This realization has inspired me to study geography at university, a discipline uniquely positioned to analyze the intersection of human activity and environmental impact. By blending technical and social sciences, I aim to contribute to a road map for sustainable change, essential for preserving our planet for future generations. Another concern that I have recognized around me is a growing culture of ignorance and fear, manifesting in homophobia and transphobia. As a gender non-conforming person, I am highly aware of how hard it is to be a LGBTQ+ young person in America. Whether jumping through hoops to obtain a legal name change or reading about hate crimes committed against people like me in the media, it deeply concerns me how hostile our society is to LGTBQ+ people. However, in the face of this inhospitablity, I have come to recognize the importance of creating a welcoming community. It is my dream to speak up against ignorance and discrimination, advocating for inclusionary policies and diverse viewpoints. I aspire to be a role model of success within the LGBTQ+ community, advocating for the protection of LGTBTQ+ rights while pursuing my own career goals. I want to pursue a career with either government or non-profit organizations, shaping public policy to further sustainable development and social equality. I believe we need a global shift in priorities, from exploitation and resource extraction to human rights and environmental stewardship. This vision has inspired my dream career of working with the United Nations. As an international organization devoted to protecting peace, security, human rights, and sustainable development, the principles of the UN align with my own educational goals and vision. As human beings, I believe that we all have fundamental rights. Rights to a clean and healthy environment. Rights to express our identities authentically without fear of harm. This idealistic world may not exist in our present, but I aspire to protect these rights in our shared future. Throughout my life, I want to be an advocate for social change and the protection of human rights. With this scholarship, I also want to continue my education in the field of geography, with an emphasis on sustainable development and environmental justice. I hope to use the skills I develop throughout my ongoing educational experience to devote my life to the pursuit of peace, justice, and sustainability for those around the world. I believe that this scholarship can help me achieve this dream for my future.