I enjoyed learning to play Minecraft with a group of guys when I was in Job Corps studying the carpentry trade. I attended Job Corps when I was priced out of attending college, so I could get support in getting my driver's education and license as well as money for my first car working wildland fire camp-crews. I also saved up to pay off my school debt, so I could get my transcripts and re-enroll in college classes. I'm a former foster youth and it has been difficult in my earlier 20s to navigate working full-time and taking on higher education. An aspect of the game I enjoyed was fishing for different items with a special fishing pole and helping out my teammates. As a trans masculine person living in the male dorms, and as someone who is neurodivergent, I wasn't sure how to connect with my peers since I hadn't really had many guy friends before, and this was a great outlet for the guys to show me what they knew. I enjoyed going on mining missions and evading enemies with them, and we started to build more comradery. I'm now back in school at University of Maine Augusta's online program for Information & Library Science, while I work full-time in an early literacy organization. I love that libraries have utilized both tabletop and video-gaming as a way to support and engage youth and young adults, and stock books that relate to special interests many of the kids have such as Minecraft. One of my favorite things about Minecraft is how it has been such a great outlet for me to connect with my partner's two young kids. I was able to thrift a series of chapter-books based on the Minecraft game and storylines, that were perfect for their reading level. We read every night about the adventures of a character named "Gamenight999" and they can tell me fun facts about Minecraft and useful tips for when we next play. I love that I'm getting to bond with the kids and also practice what I enjoy, supporting early literacy, as I move forward toward my career goals. I want to be able to support my family as a Librarian, and possibly work in Acquisitions & Cataloging or Collection Management. I also want to support branches in programming for all ages. I love that in Minecraft, there are so many creative possibilities, and I want to show my kids that there are also creative possibilities in life. This scholarship would help ease our financial stress and motivate me to stay on track toward my dreams. I would love to show the kids that their interests matter and aren't frivolous.

I have had a TikTok since 2020, where I follow creators who talk about books. My ideal bookshelf inspired by #BookTok recommendations includes literary fiction, science-fiction, speculative fiction, dystopian, magical realism, and horror reads, primarily by BIPOC and LGBTQAI2S+ authors. Some examples of books I have checked out from the library or purchased from used/new bookstores to read, and enjoyed with others because of BookTok, include: Toward Eternity by Anton Hur, There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes Jr, Blessings by Chukwuebuka Ibeh, The Stardust Grail by Yume Kitasei, The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, All Friends are Necessary by Tomas Moniz, Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice, Bellies by Nicola Dinan, Foe by Ian Reid, Rosewater by Liv Little, A Trans Man Walks Into a Gay Bar by Harry Nichols, Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Membranes by Chi Ta-wei, Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield, I Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman, How High We Go In the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu, Severance by Ling Ma, The Cybernetic Tea Shop by Meridith Katz, Man o'War by Cory McCarthy, Binti by Nnedi Okorafor, Under Fortunate Stars by Ren Hutchings, and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. A big hit book like this last title has such a big impact across the #BookTok community in engaging both existing and new readers. I was able to enjoy the audiobook with a group of friends and we met over the course of a couple months to talk about the book and what it meant to us. I loved that it took my enjoyment of reading from a more solitary act to something I could enjoy with peers. I also love that #BookTok can help promote not just mainstream hits, but help talented indie authors and titles reach a mainstream audience. We can also bring titles that were possibly suppressed during their time of publishing for being a little ahead of the curve or because of oppression to a big contemporary audience. I track all of my reading on the Storygraph app and would love to start my own #BookTok account. A few titles that I think are absolutely must-reads/must-haves include All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks, In The Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg, Women, Race, & Class by Angela Davis, Exile and Pride: Disability, Queerness, and Liberation by Eli Clare, and The Words that Remain by Stenio Gardel. I value books, both fiction and nonfiction, that can help people understand trauma, ignite an interest in taking action to connect with others in the path toward liberation, and imagine future worlds. An example of a book like this includes A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers, book two in a sci-fi series. This book explores two characters, one who is a ship AI put into a humanoid body, and another who is a child-clone in a labor camp who manages to escape. I love this book and relate to the characters as someone who is neurodivergent and experienced childhood abuse and neglect. These characters learn how to develop their inner and outer worlds, find chosen family, and persevere through hardship. They learn how to express themselves, find joy, and unite against oppression. The author made relatable characters in an exciting futuristic world and kept great pacing and moments of tension to keep readers engaged. This book got me through a difficult time, and I enjoy connecting with others who read and found meaning in it.

As a student taking three classes my first semester back in college, while working full-time in a nonprofit, making time for mental and physical well-being is important and also challenging when it feels like there is never enough time. I am thankful to have a loving partner, who is also in college, and I get to help support their two young children who live with us half-time. I do my best to model naming my feelings, staying regulated, asking for help, taking breaks, and engaging in both my responsibilities and in having fun. I want the kids to grow up seeing us both take care of household tasks (cooking, washing dishes, laundry, cleaning, putting air in the car tires, to name a few) as well engaging in learning and play with them. I want them to see us smiling, laughing, and achieving our goals, and also to see how we've learned to handle the harder days and stay attuned to ourselves and each other. I want to give the kids opportunities to make mistakes, practice, and get better at handling tough days. Mental wellness is important to me, as someone who grew up with two parents who have severe mental illness. I have learned that getting enough sleep, nutrition, and social connection are all important factors. I have also learned the benefits of regular therapy, trying different therapy modalities and therapists to find a good fit. I have also learned that mental and physical wellness can influence each other. As someone who works in primarily an office environment, and is taking classes online, I often struggle to find time where I can also move my body. We hike with the kids when the weather is good and get in the pool. The kids and I will play a game where we make up exercises for each other to do in the pool and it's a lot of fun. Bundling my time, where I'm getting exercise and time with family, or exercise and study time (say, reading on the treadmill for 45 minutes when I get home from work or after dinner), helps me to feel like I can stay well-rounded. Learning to cook a new healthy meal that my partner will also like can also be good for my mental wellness, physical health, and connecting with my family, and I may have more energy to focus on my homework after a creative task and the nutrition. I am learning as a transgender person who is now on testosterone that getting more protein is really helpful for me. Receiving this scholarship would help in regard to my financial stress with continuing in my higher education. Financial stress takes huge toll on mental and physical wellness, and while I'm no longer in poverty as someone working full time while in school, the toll on my time is challenging. My goal is to become a librarian and help members of my community access information. The library is an important hub in society for mental and physical wellness, with access to programming, information, and materials for families, youth, and elders.

My name is Danno and I'm a 30-year-old former foster youth. I am bisexual and transgender and use they/them or he/him pronouns. I also live with a disability. My life's passion is reading, and I value being a life-long learner. I enjoy reading literary fiction, science fiction, and speculative fiction the most. I also enjoy reading memoirs, biographies, and poetry by LGBTQAI2S+ people. One of my favorite authors is Minnie Bruce Pratt. My intention if awarded this scholarship is to use it for my studies at University of Maine Augusta online, where I am studying Library & Information Science. I do my coursework in the evenings and on the weekends, since I work full-time at an early literacy nonprofit. Before I worked full-time in nonprofits, I spent a lot of time volunteering and in other advocacy work and my profile outlines more of my experience. My role now is to help train and coordinate volunteers who read with kids in schools and give kids up to 14 free books a year to take home and read with their families. I love my job because I get to help kids see their identities and experiences mirrored in a book, or help kids see a window into someone else's experience. These kids also get to grow a supportive relationship with a safe and consistent volunteer. This was really valuable to me as a kid, as someone who experienced abuse and neglect and was also taken in by foster parents who happened to not speak kindly about people from other cultures, those with disabilities, or those who were experiencing poverty. I knew I wanted to grow up to be someone who would affirm people's experiences, help connect people with information and be a welcoming presence. My identity as a member of the LGBTQAI+ community has impacted my education. I struggled in school because of bullying targeting myself and my peers. I learned so much in my first attempt at college, but due to limited support, I had to take a break and got priced out. I was able to pay off my debt and attend a Job Corps training program that helped me get my driver's license and make money for my first car. This helped me to be able to be pickier about the jobs I took to survive, so I didn't have to work in environments that were hostile to LGBTQAI2S+ folks. I grew more confidence and decided I wanted to give school another chance, especially when I realized that library work would be a great field for me. Right now, there is a big threat of censorship of materials and programming across the United States. While I know libraries don't always get everything right, I know that they've been a beacon of hope for many over the years as a place people can go and learn without money, and they have been a leading partner in intellectual freedom. I would love to continue that legacy not just for the LGBTQAI2S+ community, but for all communities who have had their history and experiences silenced or erased.

My name is Danno and I'm a 30-year-old working professional. I have a disability and I'm a member of the LGBTQAI+ community. I have struggled as a former foster youth with competing my education, and I want to make a change. I first got a GED and then started classes at Southern Oregon University. I learned a lot in my time there, including how to advocate for and with others who are like me or different than me. I also struggled as I was low-income and working both on and off campus. When I was priced out of school after I took a break, I used that time to complete an affordable carpentry pre-apprenticeship through the Job Corps program. I got my driver's license and money for my first car working wildland fire camp crews. I started carpentry work but was bullied on job sites a lot. I then went on to work as a domestic violence advocate for around four years. In this time, I really wanted to go back to school but I was scared. It was expensive, and I wasn't sure if I had the strength to do it. I sought support from a therapist and was able to go through some healing. I also was able to briefly work an administrative library, and this made me realize that library work was a great venture for my future educational and career goals. Library work combines my love of advocacy with my love of materials and robust public access to information. I now work full-time at an early literacy nonprofit, while studying Information & Library Science online with the University of Maine Augusta. This scholarship would be a huge support to me. I'm taking out both public and private loans to cover the cost of my classes and books, while working full time, and I haven't been able to receive any scholarships yet. I don't have parents or elders that are cheering me on in my goals. I am thankful to have a supportive older sibling, and my loving partner who have encouraged me. At the same time, many people say I'm trying to do too much as a working professional going back to school, and that school isn't worth the price. I really want to show them there are opportunities out there for people like us. I want to pay it forward by helping another former foster youth locate scholarships and feel supported that they can go to school even if they come from a poverty background. Only around 3-4% of former foster youth are able to complete a bachelor's degree, and I want to help support raising that number.

As a child, I was put in foster care due to my parent's severe mental illness. I grew up with a lot of trauma in both in my birth home and in my foster home. I didn't know that I had an anxiety disorder until I was diagnosed in high school, when I was struggling with my peers getting bullied and with getting overstimulated in class. I would skip class because I didn't know how to engage socially, and even though I was smart, I often was bored with the material. I ended up completing a GED, went straight into the workforce, and started classes at Southern Oregon University. It was there that I learned how to advocate with my peers for equity and inclusion, as a member of the Queer Resource Center working in conjunction with the Multicultural Resource Center and Women's Resource Center. This led me to work with nonprofit groups in my region, state, and across the nation in advocacy for current and former foster youth and those experiencing housing insecurity. I also took part in a cohort for emerging transgender leaders in our state. I first struggled in college as a low-income person and took a couple terms off but got priced out of returning. I used this time to get a Carpentry certification through a Job Corps program and earned money for my first car working in wildland fire camp crew support. This was a challenging time for my mental health, but I knew it would pay off. I spent a lot of time engaging with my favorite hobby, reading fiction and memoir. After surviving an abusive relationship, I worked as a legal and sexual assault advocate for many years, and this took a toll on my mental health as I saw many people who struggled to have the income and social support to get themselves and their kids into a better situation. I learned a lot as I sought out training in this work. I also learned a lot through a personal therapist I was able to see during this time. I explored and benefited from many different therapy modalities including internal family systems, DBT, art therapy, and EMDR. I valued how my therapist understood how to support me in what I could change and helped me hold space for grief. She also supported my bravery in taking action toward a more just world. I now receive free therapy through a nonprofit that supports current & former foster youth, and my new therapist has continued to support me as I re-engage with university in hopes of gaining knowledge, experience, and certification toward my chosen career path and more income to support my family. I now apply what I have learned on a weekly basis, and I'm in online program that works better for my mental health. I work full-time at an early literacy nonprofit while studying online for an Information & Library Science bachelor's degree, my first bachelors, ahead of the master's I hope to get. My cat, Nala, is a huge support for me. I do a better job being kind to myself when she is nearby when I study. I'm also in a healthy, loving relationship now. Some things that help me maintain my mental health include time in a hot tub or bath, journaling, and advocating for change with loved ones. I also try to schedule things in advance to look forward to. I remember the importance of good sleep, cook and eat tasty meals, enjoy the sun, move my body, and most of all, practice being kind to myself.