Scholarship
​

PFLAG Cape Cod Anne Toran Scholarship

Each spring, PFLAG Cape Cod awards scholarships/toolships* to graduating high school seniors from the Cape and Islands who have shown, through their actions and example, support and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Since 2003, including 2025, we have awarded over $105,000 in scholarships! ​

In May of 2025, four seniors from Cape and Islands high schools were named recipients of the 2025 Anne Toran Scholarship and will each receive a $2,500 scholarship! More information about the recipients is below.

​Please join us in recognizing and celebrating the scholarship recipients at a brief awards ceremony and social prior to our in-person support meeting on Monday, May 19th at 7:00 pm in Brewster. (First Parish Brewster UU, 1969 Main Street/Rt. 6A, Brewster)

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

The application for the 2026 PFLAG Cape Cod Anne Toran Scholarship will become available in December 2025, so check back here at the time for a link to the appication. To be considered, the student and/or their Guidance Department must submit the following materials by the posted deadlines:

• the completed application with signed release form
• a one-page essay describing their efforts to support, educate, and/or advocate on behalf of LGBTQ+ people in their school and/or community
• two letters of recommendation: one from their Guidance Counselor and another from an adult who is familiar with their efforts on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community
• official high school transcript

* Toolships are financial resources that help career-bound students defray the cost of tools, equipment, uniforms, certifications/licenses, or other trade-related expenses, whereas Scholarships provide financial resources to college-bound students to assist with books, room, board, or tuition. We encourage both career-bound and college-bound students to apply!

 If you would like to help students achieve their full potential, ​please make a donation
​to the PFLAG Cape Cod Anne Toran Scholarship fund by clicking the button below! 

DONATE TO SCHOLARSHIP FUND

If you’re a prospective college student who identifies as LGBTQ+, it’s important that you research schools to make sure they’ve created a supportive environment. Intelligent.com has created an LGBTQ+ College Student Guide that will show you how to research colleges and review additional topics such as the unique challenges LGBTQ+ students face and the resources and legal rights available to them. And check out their list of Best Colleges for LGBTQ+ Students (2023)!

In addition, here's a list of Support Groups and Financial Resources for LGBTQ Students (provided by Madison Trust). Being an LGBTQ student in high school can sometimes feel like navigating a maze of challenges, from facing discrimination and bullying to struggling with acceptance from friends and family. It's no secret that the journey can be tough, but the good news is that there's a whole community out there to help you succeed. If you're looking at colleges and trying to decide where to go, you have plenty of options; there are lots of LGBTQ-friendly schools out there where you can be yourself without fear. There are also lots of scholarships for LGBTQ students that can help you pay for your education. And when you just need someone to talk to, someone who gets what you're going through, you'll find that there are plenty of support options, from clubs at school to community organizations to hotlines to call. All of these resources are out there to help you not just survive but thrive.

​About the 2025 Scholarship Recipients

Maureen “Mo” O’Neill (they/them) will be attending Suffolk University, majoring in Theater. Mo joined the GSA in eighth grade where they found a supportive community. They have also been an active member of the school’s National Art Honor Society (NAHS). In addition, Mo has matriculated at Cape Cod Community College in the dual-enrollment program.

Through the Photography Club Mo helped to organize “The Smile Project,” a student-run gallery exhibit designed to provide a platform for students from diverse backgrounds. In addition, Mo enrolled in Adding ArtWorks, a program that offers mentorship opportunities with established professionals in their local community.

Theater has always been at the heart of Mo. “I love music, the arts, and any chance to engage in a theatrical moment.” Working behind the scenes or on stage as an actor, Mo has participated in school productions and with Cape Cod Theatre Company/Harwich Junior Theatre, Cotuit Center for the Arts, and Cape Repertory Theater. They also spearheaded the History of Queer Fashion, an event produced by the GSA, to elevate awareness about queer terminology and identities.

Mo recently shared, that they want to “spend their life helping people feel loved and accepted. I want to do my best to understand others and share their experiences through art.” 

---

Rowan Cammarano (he/him) will be majoring in Music Composition at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Rowan joined his school’s GSA in his freshman year and became president the following year. His involvement led the group to deliver community events such as the Homecoming Rolling Rally, Day of Silence, Queer Trivia for Valentine’s Day and the annual PRIDE party. He also inspired a student-led mural designed to focus on inclusiveness. His experience with the GSA made him realize that, “Our mutual love, support, and acceptance of each other’s multiple aspects is what keeps me going each day. I know I can always rely on my community to have my back.”
 
Rowan is a very creative individual, perfecting his art as a musician of both the tenor and baritone saxophone and a vocalist. He is a section leader in the Performing Arts Department and a Technical Manager for the Drama Club, and has been a lead performer in many of the school's productions. A highly intuitive person, Rowan often shares his insights in the annual Poetry Out Loud competitions, where he has consistently been a finalist. His welcoming nature and ability to show empathy is delivered in his interactions with students, teachers and his community.
 
Rowan is a deeply caring person and he recently shared, “I hope to make the world a better place…to advocate for my rights as well as the rights of others.”

---

Jackie Holmes (they/them) will be attending Mount Holyoke College, majoring in International Relations. Jackie joined their school’s GSA beginning in their sophomore year and became a leader in the organization in their junior year. As a person who is responsive, caring, thoughtful and dedicated, Jackie exemplifies the power and joy of being someone who can live their life exactly as they are meant to be. Jackie has a strong sense of fairness, equity and kindness and has demonstrated this through their activities at Sturgis Charter Public School.
 
Through their work as an advocate and activist for the LGBTQ+ community, Jackie made it their goal to humanize a group often dehumanized due to bigotry. They joined their school’s No Place For Hate club to become engaged with stemming bullying and to dismantle the acceptance of this. In addition, they were a pioneer in the Active Bystander Workshop, which provided training for what to do when witnessing bullying or harassing behavior. However, Jackie took this to a new level by offering suggestions to make the program more applicable to students. They not only taught sophomores at Sturgis, but also presented to a group of 40 students and adults at the Cape-wide M.A.R.C.H. (Making Anti-Racist Change Happen) Conference in 2024.
 
Jackie’s leadership qualities and fairness towards all people reinforce their vision to leave communities better than how they found them. ​​

---

Skyler Castleberry will attend UMASS Amherst, majoring in Veterinary Technology. Skyler loves animals, particularly horses, and has volunteered with Equine Helpers for the past three years and, in 2024, began working at the Hyannis Animal Hospital as a Technical Assistant.
 
Skyler has been a member of the GSA for four years and is president, and shares that, “I made it my mission to be the person that those in the GSA club can turn to as a friend or someone to listen to them. Many of the freshmen refer to me as “papa,” I never doubt their feelings or what they are going through at home and at school, my job is simply to listen.”
 
Skyler has matriculated at Cape Cod Community College in the dual-enrollment program in addition to their studies and has focused on making a difference in school clubs and community by participating in We Thrive, Cape and Island Trans Resource Fund, and Falmouth Pride events, as well as Heroes in Transition.
 
Skyler is a leading voice for young adults in the Cape Cod Transgender Community and feels strongly when referring to underclassmen, “These kids are the reason I want to be able to always advocate for the ones who are afraid to use their voice, because I was in their position only a few years ago.”

---

​​Written by Darby Hobbs, author and volunteer

​Congratulations to Mo, Rowan, Jackie, and Skyler for being
awarded PFLAG Cape Cod's 2025 Anne Toran Scholarships!
Our gratitude and well-wishes go out to them as they set out 
to make the world a better, kinder, ​and more inclusive place for all!