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.