Pride Foundation- LGBTQ Community Foundation

Volunteer Mark Stenger

You can apply for a 2012 Pride Foundation Scholarship online until January 31, 2012. Visit our website for guidelines and to apply online.

Mark Stenger, one of our volunteers shares his experience screening and interviewing candidates for the Southwest WA Scholarships. Soon we will announce our 2011 scholars but first—here’s a view from the other side of the table.

I thought this was going to be a piece of cake. After all, I’ve read and reviewed multi-million dollar grant applications for national health agencies and serve on the editorial board of an international journal, so the process didn’t seem particularly daunting.

I was fully prepared to bring my usual detached, dry and academically objective eye to the task as I began downloading the scholarship applications from Pride Foundation’s online processing system. Our committee’s first order of business was to narrow the field to the top five or six applicants, which at first pale seemed a fairly straight-forward directive.  Yet from the first essay responses, voices – visceral and oddly audible – emerged, and with them a compelling narrative of hope and promise began to unfold. And while the voice changed with each new application I read, the language of hope and optimism was the common thread weaving all of them into a wonderful community tapestry.

The most compelling voices to me were those foretelling the greatest potential for future service and meaningful contribution to our communities. But now I wondered if I was being too subjective. Our committee, five wonderful volunteers from Western Washington, met for the first time by conference call and I dutifully prepared to endure long discussions of the merits of each applicant. To my amazement, all of us had heard the same beautiful voices, and though all of our candidates promised so much to our future community, we reached unanimous consensus on the top candidates. I was so proud to be part of the process and looked forward to the day we would finally meet our successful applicants.

That day arrived in early April, wet and showing only the barest hint of spring promise so characteristic of our Washington weather. Meeting my fellow volunteers was like gathering with distant family – not really known well, but instantly bonding in the comfort of shared hopes and dreams. The day passed in a blur of activity; 30 minutes with each incredible scholar, not nearly enough time to soak up the full range of their special talents yet enough to fully delight in the hope and promise they represent for the future of our LGBTQ community. We heard challenges, triumphs and plans so full of energy and purpose, each illuminating a different facet of the brilliant jewel that is our community. All shared in common a truly remarkable desire to pass on their hope for a better tomorrow to others as teachers, scientists, artists and human service professionals.

As we gathered at the end of our day to make the last decisions in favor of funding our scholars, I realized something quite unexpected and profoundly moving. While our scholars would certainly gain and grow through Pride Foundation’s support, we volunteers were also winners in this process. With a renewed spirit, I walked back to my car as if walking on air. Years of cynicism had been suddenly peeled away; I had something I had not had for a long time – genuine pride in community and a renewed hope for the future.

The rain had stopped and brilliant spring sunlight lit my way home.