Scholarship

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PFLAG Cape Cod Anne Toran Scholarship

Each spring, PFLAG Cape Cod awards several thousand dollars to a graduating senior from high schools across the Cape and Islands who will be furthering their education at an institution of higher learning. Students chosen for these awards have shown, through their actions and example, support and advocacy for the LGBTQ community. Since 2003, we have awarded over $61,000 in scholarships!

In the spring of 2020, PFLAG Cape Cod will be awarding a scholarship in the amount of $2,000. If you or someone you know is a senior in high school and would like to apply for the scholarship, please click the button below for the application which must be printed, filled out and submitted with the accompanying materials to the student's high school Guidance Department no later than Friday, March 27, 2020.

To learn more about Anne Toran, the person for whom the scholarship is named, simply follow this link.

About the 2019 Scholarship Recipient

PictureAutumn Capurso
PFLAG Cape Cod is proud to announce that Autumn Capurso of Nauset Regional High School is the recipient of the 2019 PFLAG Cape Cod Anne Toran Scholarship!

In seventh grade, Autumn came out as bisexual and then came out again as transgender in their freshman year of high school. Autumn started attending a transgender support group and met other kids who were experiencing the same thing, which helped them through some difficult times. Autumn was fortunate to have a very supportive father who was there to offer support, along with some outside help. In tenth grade, Autumn was elected president of the Gay Straight Alliance where they ran several meetings and started planning club events.

It wasn’t an easy road for Autumn however: “Accepting my identity and being proud of my queerness was one of the best things to ever happen to me, but unfortunately it didn’t always feel that way”. Autumn's experiences have contributed to being a strong and open advocate of LGBTQ+ rights and they can now look back on the journey and see how far they have grown. “I made it through the rough patches that all LGBTQ+ youth go through…and now I make it my utmost goal to seek out those who are struggling and help them”. Autumn has firsthand knowledge of the experiences facing many individuals and is able to pass on that knowledge to others in need. 
 
Autumn has a strong leadership background, especially after having attended an LGBTQ+ leadership camp in the summer of 2018 which took place at Camp Brave Trails in Los Angeles, California. Autumn created the blueprints for a project that educated others about the levels of violence against transgender people, and spoke to camp members and staff alike. They were awarded the “Brave Unicorn” award because of their many accomplishments.

Shortly after attending camp, Autumn moved from New York to Cape Cod in the senior year, for a fresh new start. Immediately joining the “Equality Club” as well as the “Human Rights Academy”, Autumn strongly advocated for LGBTQ+ rights and was instrumental at Nauset Regional High School in organizing a public forum for community members to come forward and learn about the dangers of the recent state ballot question that would have allowed discrimination against transgender people in public. Autumn shared their own personal experiences and was mentioned on local radio stations as “the student who spoke out at the transgender rights forum”. 
 
Recently, Autumn created a club at Nauset Regional High School called “The Sex & Positivity Club” with the help of the school advisor. This was formed with the intent of creating positive dialogue around queer sex and relationships without any stigma or false information. “Activism for the queer and transgender community has been an essential part of my life for the last two years, and I plan to continue my work far, far beyond into my future”.

Autumn’s club advisor noted that, “Autumn shows great scholarship in school, and is a wonderful community participant and volunteer, raising money for myriad causes that go above and beyond the call of the average young person of high school age”. She goes on to state that, “Autumn is very bright, articulate, mature and reliable”…“A a gifted “A” student and compassionate young person driven by the need to alleviate injustice wherever confronted”.

Autumn will attend Adelphi University on Long Island and plans to study Political Science and Social Policy, and will undoubtedly be an active and enthusiastic member of the LGBTQ+ community!
PFLAG Cape Cod congratulates Autumn Capurso for being awarded the 2019 Scholarship, and expresses its gratitude and well-wishes as they embark on a journey to make the world a better, kinder, and more inclusive place for all!