The Pinnacle Foundation is an organisation that provide educational scholarships, mentoring and opportunities for young LGBTIQ+ Australians. They help students to achieve educational or vocational qualifications in any profession, trade or the arts. This week we spoke to Brayden, a student who was awarded with one of Pinnacle’s scholarships about how it changed his life.
The scholarships are now open for 2023, Brayden is keen to encourage other young Indigenous Australians to apply.
If you or someone you know would like to apply for The Pinnacle Foundation’s Scholarship, you can do so here: Reclaim Your Path | The Pinnacle Foundation
Read Brayden’s story here:
How did it feel when you found out you were awarded the scholarship?
I was ecstatic! I wasn’t expecting that I would get it despite the progress I made throughout the application process as I wasn’t sure that I would necessarily ‘fit in’ to the group that may be typically expected from an LGBTIQ+ based scholarship.
Being someone who is not your typical stereotype for a gay male, it can be hard to find my place within the community so I was a bit nervous after being awarded the scholarship.
What impact has it had on your life?
The impact the scholarship has been immense.
It has given me the opportunity to have the resources for University that I wouldn’t have been able to without the scholarship. It’s provided me with a mentor who I have a great relationship with and has given me the chance to reach out to different contacts and offer help in situations that I may not be aware of the resources available.
The scholarship has also given me the opportunity to put more focus into my University studies to get the best results possible.
On top of the mentor relationship and the money associated with the scholarship, I have also had the benefit of meeting my peers who have also received scholarships through Pinnacle and been able to establish connections which I hope into the future will be able to blossom into even better relationships.
Can you tell us a bit about the pinnacle family?
The Pinnacle family is one that is very welcoming and accepting of each and every individual that joins the family.
All of us new and continuing scholars have been very lucky in getting to meet and talk with Andrew, Paula, Sam and all the other people involved with Pinnacle and they are the most amazing people to be able to have as a support network in and out of our university lives.
I have had an amazing time getting to know them and they are constantly going out of their way for myself and other scholars as family would.
You had a tough experience when you were outed at a young age, what advice would you give to other who have been through a similar situation?
Being outed at such a young age and being someone who hadn’t accepted myself for who I am, was very difficult. It came with a lot of self-hatred, anxiety with going to school or being in public and eventually led to my later diagnosis of anxiety and depression.
However, I have found in the last year especially the most important thing for people who have been through similar situations is to look at the people who don’t accept you and know that the problem is not you, but them.
I have amazing family and friends who I wouldn’t trade for the world and are the best people I have ever met. They have helped work wonders for me in my own process of self-love, acceptance and normalising who I am as a person.
Pinnacle has also let me see that the community is even more varied than I once thought and there is no one way to be or one type of person within the community but rather a whole community of immense variation, different experiences and different goals which is not only motivating but amazing to be a part of.
My main pieces of advice I would give to others who are struggling is to not let yourself settle for anything less than you deserve. Everyone deserves a network of people who will support them, uplift them and make the most of their time with you, and that mental health, and self-acceptance are all a process of many ups and downs and to just do the best you can do at any time to move forward in your own pursuits.
What would you say to other people considering applying for the scholarship?
I would say that no matter your circumstances, you will never know unless you try.
Don’t put yourself into a box thinking others may deserve it the scholarship more because you will often be surprised with the outcome.
A lot of the time, not all scholarships are utilised, you may just miss out on something that could have a significant impact on your life.
