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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 18, 2005)
NOVEMBER 18, 2005 lUStOUt 9 northwest Introducing Just Out Scholarship Winners Congratulations and happy studies by Jaymee R. Cuti || usl Out is proud to introduce the four recip- I ients of our 2005 Just Out Scholarship Fund. ing as well as graduate from school so I can serve the health care relevant and effective, with an analysis community in the future.” around oppression and a vision for social change.” Britta Houser Ly Nguyen I l.ast summer, we received a batch of applica- tions from worthy candidates throughout Oregon and southwest Washington, in what Britta Houser, 22, was awarded the largest chunk we hope will be an annual celebration of Just Out's of Just Out's scholarship, $2,000. Ly Nguyen, a attending Stanford freshman University, was awarded $1,200 from the Just Out anniversary. To be eligible for the scholarship, which Houser is a sophomore nursing student at Samuel was facilitated through Equity Foundation, applicants Merritt College in Oakland, Calif. She transferred from Nguyen is keeping her future career options open needed to be either members or children of members Portland Community College to what she describes as and has not yet declared her major but is considering of the sexual minorities community and be accepted a or enrolled in an accredited educational program school. beyond the secondary level. “Special consideration will be given to applicants . from rural arms J Just Out Publisher Marty Davis said Tyler Smith is pursuing a degree from National College of Naturopathic Medicine, with the help of a Just Out scholarship. when she announced the scholarships, totaling double-majoring in English and Japanese and minoring in either feminist or queer Houser, who is theory. She also plans to attend law school. queer and the daugh Being an out bisexual of Vietnamese of a ter lesbian, heritage was a challenge for Nguyen, who described challenges really am committed to giving back to the community,” to memories into this process, but the notion of helping she said. when free a sexual minority youth from the confines of Tyler Smith Tyler Smith, a senior student at National College of Heather Webb private pricey $5,000. “I admit I’m projecting my own feelings and Harney County pleases me greatly.” Scholarship Fund. Naturopathic Medicine, was awarded $700. her grew up in Beaverton. “One of the main conflicts I’ve had is my education said: own heritage as an Asian American and my “Applying to nursing identity as an LGBT individual ” she said. school is a ridicu “The two are minorities that society likes to lously prohibitive overlook. Al the same time, the Asian com process, so I had to munity tends toward traditional beliefs. of There hasn’t been a melding yet of these two she Heather Webb, a junior student of nursing at Growing up queer and transgender has been a Linfield College in Vancouver, Wash., was awarded challenge for Smith, but since overcoming the trials applying to private communities, yet I always get this feeling $800. of adolescence, he has the confidence to meet his schools, which I nev that they’re looking at the same goals: goals and the wellness needs of the sexual minority er had envisioned acceptance and understanding.” population. being able to afford. Webb, who is a lesbian, feels being an out student has been important for her own integrity' and especial ly to raise awareness among other students and facul start thinking Just Out scholarship recipient Britta Houser, a nursing student at Samuel Merritt College, took top dollar at $2,000. “I don’t think I’m unique in that adolescence was Figuring out how to ty. “If we don’t increase not a fun time for me,” said Smith. pay for it, and deal the awareness, we’re not “Making it through harassment and ing with the idea of going to be able to move coming out of it a stronger person having massive debt, took a lot for me to deal with." terms of helps me use those experiences to forward being in granted full motivate myself to make changes.” rights,” she said. Smith believes being out and visi Webb plans to work ble helps the community at large. Nguyen, a tireless student in academics and extracurricular activities, didn’t take this conflict lying down. At Stanford, she is organizing East Fest, a cultural festival, and In Oakland, Houser continues one of the projects she was dedicated to as a Portlander. She is a volun at Aloha High School, she established a Gay Straight Alliance and organized the first Day of Silence and a well-attended forum to discuss Measure 36. teer for Act for Action, a Portland-based social jus “I noticed this atmosphere at my school that wasn’t tice theater group. The interactive play A Lea/) of hostile, but it was kind of apathetic to LGBT issues,” said Faith is traveling to Oakland, and Houser is acting as Nguyen. “It was just an issue that needed to be* brought in critical care, a field “As a trans and queer person, with. I think I can make changes in health well as encouraging groups at her to the attention of the When she was 22, she care that nonqueer people can’t make. school to see the mind-expanding school because no one diagnosed with I think we need to have actual repre performance. was really thinking about brain cancer. Between sentation of our community in the chemotherapy, health care field," he said. she’s was familiar brain it before." “The play started during the granting of marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Though discussions Multnomah about race, class and from Portland State University and fills County and the subsequent backlash gender were part her order, Webb can identify his 60-hour work and school week by from conservative Christian church education at Aloha High, with the challenges her volunteering as a student physician es,” she explained. The interactive Nguyen said her school and medical assistant, mostly assisting play encourages audience members, preferred to breeze over queer and homeless youth at Outside primarily from communities of faith, taboo subjects such as In, In Act and Old Town Clinic. He also to interrupt the actors and replay the sexuality. "The Day of scene with positive outcomes. Silence really showed that surgery and the develop Smith holds a bachelor’s degree ment of a seizure dis patients will have. * "You never realize Heather Webb, a nursing student at Linfield College, was awarded $800. how much an illness can impact someone’s life until you've been there," she works at a drug and alcohol center, helping people said. with mental health and addiction concerns, and par Webb has experience working with sexual minori ticipates in various medical outreach programs. “The play is designed not to people were willing to demonize or alienate folks who are step up and face the bias ties in a health care setting. She provided counseling During the summer, Smith participated in a med struggling with faith and marriage but or the views they had of and safer-sex education to clients at Cascade AIDS ical outreach trip to Peru, providing free medical care rather to foster dialogue and create the LGBT community.” Project for two years as a volunteer. There, she identi to communities living in extreme poverty. “It was a positive change," she said. fied some barriers that gay, lesbian, bisexual and privilege to be welcomed with such kindness and to transgender people face when seeking health care. meet so many great people,” he said. She says her future Houser came out at the age of 12 while living in a small town in profession will include Ly Nguyen is studying English, Japanese and feminist and queer theory at Stanford University. bringing issues of the "There are some education barriers, which create Smith has also served as a board member for Love Wyoming. Shortly after moving to employment barriers, which create financial barriers Makes a Family and facilitated trans inclusion and Portland a year later, she became a to achieving health care," she said. trans health workshops. founding memben of the Sexual Minority Youth would normally be apathetic, just as she did in high Resource Center. school. Webb also served on the board of directors for the Without the Just Out scholarship, Tyler may have Rose City Softball Association and was named Manager scaled back on volunteer work to focus only on finish of the Year. “These experiences gave me significant ing college and getting a paying job. sexual minorities com munity to people who “I experienced the extraordinary power of effect According to Nguyen, she would not have been ing change in an unjust world,” said Houser, who has able to attend Stanford if not for the scholarships she’s “I’m gaining a lot of experience now that is going also worked as an emergency medical technician. “I earned. to help me be a doctor in a community health clinic, have continued to work for justice and will be a “There’s only so much you can do with a part-time As a nurse, Webb feels she will be in a position to which is what I want to do,” he said. “With the schol dynamic member of the nursing profession, fighting job while being a student,” she said. “Scholarships help create equal access to health care for queers. “I arship, I can continue to keep up with my volunteer for access to health care for all and working to make help immensely ’' experiences facilitating, organizing and team building with a diverse group of people," she said.
