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2018 Scholarship Recipients
Alyssa Pepio is a first-year transfer student majoring in Women & Gender Studies and currently maintains a 4.0 GPA. She currently serves as an LGBTQA Ambassador at Florida International University (FIU). As an ambassador, she helps to make FIU a safe and affirming space for all students by planning and facilitating events for FIU's LGBTQA community and allies. Through the Ambassador program, she also leads an initiative in which she goes to provide support, resources, & mentorship to local middle & high school GSAs.
Alyssa also serves at the LGBTQ facilitator for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which is a club dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society. They track and protest hate groups, raise awareness of social justice issues, and mobilize students to become active leaders in the FIU community. Additionally, she is a youth mentor and project coordinator for a program called "A Light in the Closet" (ALIC), which is a partner program to FIU's "Fostering Panther Pride" (FPP). FPP is a program dedicated to providing support and services to FIU's students who are experiencing homelessness or have aged out of foster care.
Furthermore, Alyssa is currently establishing a non-profit organization called the HEART Initiative, which strives to empower frontline professionals in the healthcare and education fields with the training and resources needed to support survivors of trafficking.
Alyssa is without a doubt a strong presence for the LGBTQ community on campus, and brings her activism to the forefront whenever she has the opportunity. We would like to congratulate Alyssa Pepio as one of our 2018 recipients of the Out and Proud scholarship.
Stephanie Casio has greatly impacted LGBTQA Initiatives at Florida International University (FIU) in the short time that she has been involved. Her dedication to bring awareness and visibility to this community has exceeded most of her peers and has allowed her to be an integral part of the LGBTQA Initiatives department.
During her time at FIU, Stephanie has been involved in the organization and execution of the MPAS 3D series workshops, the Thanksgiving Student Recognition Dinner, and the PRIDE Parade. Serving as an LGBTQA Ambassador has allowed Stephanie the opportunity to get involved with community organizations and events while continuing to develop her leadership skills.
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Stephanie writes, “I came all by myself to FIU, knowing no one here, but when I took that leap of faith to apply and get interviewed, everything started going up for me. Life changed in a way I never expected. I became more confident and comfortable in myself as I started to get to know others around campus and discovered a safe haven within the LGBTQA community at FIU.”
Despite being so involved with the LGBTQA community at FIU and in South Florida, she has been striving academically and made the Undergraduate Dean’s List during the Fall 2017 academic semester. Stephanie is completing her first year at FIU, majoring in Nursing.
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We believe that Stephanie exhibits all of the qualities to be recognized by the inaugural Out and Proud scholarship. We are honored to have awarded the second scholarship to a well-deserved recipient………Stephanie Casio.
