LGBTQ+ Scholarship: How You Can Apply For A Pride Palace Scholarship

Pride Palace was first formed in 2019 as an apparel company. Our mission is to make all people in the LGBT community feel loved, accepted, and valued and spread those feelings of positivity forward. We are so proud of the products we have available to share and help spread pride and acceptance in your local community. From tank tops, flags, rings, and pins, we have amazing bundle packages available to spread the LGBT love in your community. 

We are also especially excited to announce that we have created our first-ever Pride Palace Scholarship Opportunity! We have created a $1,000 scholarship opportunity eligible for anyone who identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. We are looking to award two dedicated and proud individuals for being champions of change in the LGBTQ+ community. 

Applying for the Pride Palace scholarship opportunity is a perfect and productive way to kick off your 2021 pride celebration. There will be two winners chosen who will each receive $500 each! Throwing your name in this scholarship hat is an easy, streamlined process:

We are committed to the very important cause of helping LGBT folx embrace and champion their pride physically, mentally, emotionally, and in spirit. All of the different voices in the LGBT community all have stories and life experiences that deserve to be respected, validated and heard. The deadline for the application to the Pride Palace Scholarship is July 1, 2021. After a careful deliberation process, the winners will then be announced on July 31, 2021. 

Why is the Pride Palace Scholarship Important?

Far too many members of the LGBTQ+ community are denied basic equal human rights regularly. Queer-identifying people are too often robbed of earned and deserved opportunities. LGBTQ+ people have historically been denied employment, housing, or acceptance from their own families based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Being a relentless target for an onslaught of negative energy, harm, and rejection leaves lasting harmful effects on the person. 

This is why it’s so important to come together as a supportive community to do whatever we can to create opportunities that lift each other up. We have the power to send the loud message that being yourself is cause for nothing less than celebration and inner-contentedness. The support is invaluable, affirming that your most authentic life is always worth fighting for. Taking the time to reflect and process your LGBTQ+ journey is a worthwhile way to spend some time. 

Today, more than three million people under the age of eighteen openly identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ in the U.S. Growing up is already hard enough, but many members of the LGBT community experience challenges that result in higher reported cases of depression, anxiety, and bullying. Enduring relentless stigma and rejection can leave devastating and lasting long-term effects. That is why it is vital and crucial for there to be easy access to community spaces that exist for the sole purpose of supporting, uplifting, and encouraging each other as members of a proudly queer community. 

Can I Still Apply for the Pride Palace Scholarship If I’m Still “Figuring Myself Out”?

If you do not know your label, don’t worry--you can still apply for the Palace Place Scholarship! At Pride Palace, we believe that gender and sexuality are fluid and not binary. It is absolutely allowed, completely normal, and more than okay to oscillate back and forth on whatever on the identity spectrum.

Questioning your sexuality or identity is a very typical human experience, and it is the very reason there is a ‘Q’ in LGBTQ! You can question your sexuality or gender identity at any age. We want you to know that you have plenty of time to explore and figure out what label if any at all, best describes you. Our Coming Out Stories page is a great resource to learn first-person accounts of other LGBT journeys.

How to Find LGBT-Friendly College Campuses that Could Be the Right Place for You

A great resource for finding LGBT-friendly college and university campuses is the Campus Pride Index. The Campus Pride is an organization with the inspiring mission to help create safer, more inclusive campus communities. The handy online index allows prospective students, families, friends, and anyone else interested in higher education to search a trusted database for LGBT-friendly campuses that could be a great potential fit. The ultimate goal is for college campuses to be safe places free of LGBT prejudice, bigotry, and hate. 

Campus Pride is the leading nonprofit in the United States dedicated to creating a hub for student leaders and campus groups to work together and create a safer college experience for LGBT students. For example, every year Campus Pride releases a carefully curated list of the best LGBT-friendly colleges and universities for viewer’s perusal. The resource is run by volunteers run by and geared towards student leaders across the country. Their mission is to create and develop campus resources, programs, and services that support and protect the LGBT student body as they move through their higher education. 

Campus Pride is known for consistently raising the bar for LGBT-inclusive policies, programs, and practices. The organization works tirelessly to support college and university campuses in recruitment and retention efforts for LGBT prospective students, faculty, and staff members. Campus Pride is terrific at highlighting positive progress and experiences on different campuses for both LGBT members and allies. 

Finding Your Community Once You Are on Your College Campus

Whether you are already in college or about to head off to campus for the very first time, there are plenty of fun ways that you can build your LGBT friend group and community at school. There is always a lot to juggle in the college experience. There are always a million and one things to do, from tackling your small mountain of homework or washing piles of dirty laundry. And then, on top of all of that, you have to make sure to be putting yourself out there to try and make some new friends! In this new stage of your life, it is important to know that there will always be people who share your likes and interests wherever you go. Your people are out there, waiting to chill!  

The best advice anyone can give someone entering a new social world is to just be yourself and trust that the rest will fall into place. Experts recommend being open and forthcoming with your interests, quirks, and hobbies when meeting new people on college campuses. Honest, sincere, and friendly questions and anecdotes will help generate unique and memorable conversations as you slowly meet all of the new faces on campus. Take advantage of campus events, especially ones that are geared towards the LGBT student community. Use common spaces as meeting grounds, whether striking up a conversation in the communal bathroom while brushing your teeth or in the hallway after class. 

Final Takeaways

The Pride Palace Scholarship application is open now, and eagerly waiting to hear from you! You can apply online all of June, which is the next perfect task to add to your Celebrating Pride Month Checklist—identifying as LGBTQ+ means identifying as a member of a distinct cultural group. Many people also come from diverse racial, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds that can double the amount of prejudice and stigmatization experienced in daily life. These discriminations can work to deter LGBT from accessing resources for support. 

Here at Pride Palace, we believe our mission is a larger purpose to spread joy, love, pride, community, and awareness. We take a lot of our own pride and joy in the opportunity to use our platform to give back to our community. It is so exciting to be able to read your stories about how proud you are to be a part of the LGBT community. We cannot wait to dive in! 

Sources: 

FAQ | Campus Pride Index 

Providing Services And Supports For Youth Who Are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex or Two-Spirit | SAMHSA

10 Ways To Make Friends In College | USA Today