In February of my junior year, I participated in my school’s Community Development Week: a week in which we celebrated the diversity of our student body. Students had the opportunity to lead workshops in which we taught other students and staff about the broad range of cultures and identities present in our community. I hosted a presentation about biphobia, a topic that is very close to my heart because I am bisexual. The overall message of my presentation was that the best method of combating bigotry was education. This endeavor was surprisingly challenging: it was difficult to keep students engaged, and despite my creative slideshow and videos, I had trouble filling the sixty minute time slot. Luckily, I had the aid of several staff members, who helped me to improvise some discussion and activity make my presentation more effective. At the end of the day, I left feeling a bit embarrassed at my underpreparedness, but overall fairly satisfied with my work. However, I soon noticed an unintended result of my workshop. A few days after I had given my presentation, my friends showed me an article written in a local blog. It focused around an interview with a parent of one of the students who had attended one of my sessions. The author criticized my school for giving me and other students a platform to speak about LGBTQ+ issues. She was very respectful compared to the comment section, which was primarily full of outrage at the misguided idea that my presentation might somehow convince students to become bisexual. The amount of biphobia aimed at my anti-biphobia lesson was quite ironic. Although this article intended to demoralize me, it in fact did the opposite. I did not feel especially hurt by the disparaging remarks I read, but rather felt inspired to work even harder against bigotry. It frustrated and disappointed me a bit to see this kind of backlash, but this only motivated me more. Not only did leading the anti-biphobia workshop help me to refine the way I educate others about important topics, the homophobic blog post inspired me to become even more vocal about my identity and community. During the summer, I helped to create a pro-LGBTQ+ blog and Instagram account, and a short story I wrote was included in a showcase of queer art and literature. I am very proud of my work in supporting the LGBTQ+ community, and each time I remember the article and comments, I feel even more satisfied that I am fighting against bigotry. In the end, my experiences fighting biphobia taught me to be resilient when facing criticism. There will always be obstacles in life, but these experiences helped me to realize that the best way to deal with problems is to take them in stride and listen to constructive criticism and advice from people like my teachers, while not paying too much attention to unhelpful or bad-faith attacks. In the future, I plan to use what I learned in this experience in my work as either a chemist or a doctor. These jobs require a lot of collaboration with others, as research is always a collaborative process. I am very interested in biochemistry, and may specialize in endocrinology, so that I can use biochemistry to help transgender people medically transition. Whatever my ultimate field of study, I will try to use my work to benefit the world, and especially the LGBT+ community.

I was 16 years old the first time I truly loved myself. It was my junior year of high school, and my school had just finished its Community Development Week: a week in which we celebrated the diversity of our student body. Students had the opportunity to lead workshops in which we taught other students and staff about the broad range of cultures and identities present in our community. I had hosted a presentation about biphobia, a topic that is very close to my heart because I am bisexual. On this day, a few days after my presentation, my friends showed me an article from a local Catholic newspaper. It focused around an interview with a parent of one of the students who had attended my workshop. The author criticized my school for giving me and other students a platform to speak about LGBTQ+ issues. She was very respectful compared to the comment section, which was primarily full of outrage at the misguided idea that my presentation might somehow convince students to become bisexual. The amount of biphobia aimed at my anti-biphobia lesson was quite ironic. Although this article intended to demoralize me, it in fact did the opposite. I did not feel especially hurt by the disparaging remarks I read, but rather felt pride at my resilience in the face of criticism. I knew that the reason I could stand strong in the face of biphobia was not only my own personal strength, but also the strength of the LGBTQ+ community that supported me. My queer friends and I were all able to laugh at the article, because we knew that we could support each other against bigotry. We were proud each other, and formed a happy, protective community. I had never felt more joy to be bisexual, because it allowed me to be part of that community. In that moment, I truly loved myself, because I knew that my sexuality and community made me strong enough to stand up to anything. In college, I intend to spread LGBTQ+ positivity by joining my college’s LGBTQ+ student organization. I want to be part of this unique and joyful community, so that I can support others in their times of need and celebrate their victories with them. The LBTQ+ community allowed me to love myself in the face of bigotry, and I hope to be the same comfort for others as my friends were for me. Finally, I intend to bring awareness to LGBTQ+ causes and combat bigotry through more presentations. Although the newspaper’s article was critical, my workshop positively affected many students’ lives. Not only did it spread awareness about LGBTQ+ issues, but it also fostered community through queer discussion. Overall, my presentation was successful, and I plan to continue this model of queer education throughout college.

Instagram: @blackberry_hours I am proud to be bisexual because it forms a unique part of my identity. I have been criticized in the past for speaking publicly about my experience as a bisexual person, and I am proud that I was able to overcome this unjust criticism. Finally, I am overjoyed and reassured to know that I have a large community of other LGBTQ+ people to support me when I need help.

My favorite scientist is Nikola Tesla, because his inventions form the foundation of all modern life. Although many of his creations have been falsely attributed to other scientists, almost every piece of modern technology has been made possible through his creative genius. Among other innovations, Tesla harnessed electricity into an alternating current, allowing the transmission of usable electricity over long distances; designed the hydroelectric system in the Niagra Falls dam, creating the world’s first hydroelectric plant; and invented the induction motors still found in motorized appliances today. He managed to do all this despite the difficult life of an immigrant in the early twentieth century; thus, Nikola Tesla is an inspiring figure to me.