Ernesto Dominguez
qPDX would like to congratulate Portland Community College (PCC) student Ernesto Dominguez, who recently received the HRC Awards Scholarships to Student Activists Committed to Achieving LGBT Equality. Only 3 were awarded out of 400 applications from all 50 states in the categories of first year student, returning student 2-year institution, and returning student 4-year insitution. Dominguez won in the first year category.
Ernesto Dominguez will begin his first year of school at Portland Community College (OR) where he will study Political Science/Communications with a possible minor in Chicano/Women’s Studies. He is a dedicated volunteer both locally and nationally: founder and President of his high school gay-straight alliance, youth leader at Portland’s Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center, New Roots Fellow at Basic Rights Oregon, member of The Trevor Project’s Youth Advisory Council, and leadership board member of the National Latino AIDS Action Network. In 2010, Ernesto took part in major national events, presenting at the National Conference of La Raza’s annual conference and leading a workshop at the Task Force’s Creating Change conference. Ernesto helped develop the nation’s first Bill of Rights written by and for young people, which was adopted by the governments of Portland and Multnomah County, OR. He is a youth blogger at Trevorspace.com and Amplifyyourvoice.com. Ernesto plans on using his education in political science and public health, as well as his personal experience of homelessness, to support and empower at-risk youth.
“I believe that there is no greater thing I could ever do with my life than to help remove the additional obstacles LGBTQ youth face,” said Dominguez. “As a bi-lingual queer youth of color, I plan to seek further opportunities to share my story and create a space for other youth to share their own voices.”
The $2000 scholarships are part of HRC Foundation’s Youth and Campus Outreach Program, which aims to provide tools, facilitate connections and empower young people to fight for LGBT equality on campus and beyond. SO for as much as I may rag on the HRC, this is a really good thing they do. And we thank you for it.
Wow, I’m QPDX famous..
E is so dope! He totally deserves it! Whoo hooo!
[…] and immigration activist Ernesto Dominguez isn’t new to winning awards. A year and a half ago Dominguez received the HRC’s student activist award and he just recently accepted the the Paul A. Anderson Youth Leadership Award for his work with […]