Sixteen graduating Iowa high school seniors each received $3,000 scholarships for their work advancing the understanding and rights of Iowa’s LGBTQ+ community. Faith Miller of Lisbon was one of this year’s recipients.
The scholarships were presented by the First Friday Breakfast Club (FFBC) of Des Moines. Founded in 1996, this educational group for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies meets monthly for breakfast, fellowship and a speaker. Throughout the year, funds are raised for scholarships for Iowa students who advocate for equality and inclusion.
“Deciding who gets scholarships is always very tough and this year was no exception,” said Byron Huff, President of FFBC. “Judging by the quality of the scholarship applications, the future looks very bright in Iowa.”
This year a record 16 scholarships, totaling $48,000, were awarded. Scholars were chosen based on a combination of the depth of their work countering homophobia, grade point averages and extracurricular activities. To date, FFBC has awarded 203 Iowa students over $495,000 in scholarships.
The 2024 scholarship recipients are:
• Delaney Clark (she/her/hers; they/them/theirs): Des Moines Roosevelt High School
• Trinity Gillis (she/her/hers; they/them/theirs): Spencer High School
• AJ Keeler (any pronouns): Bondurant-Farrar High School
• Elliot Martin (he/him/his): Cedar Falls High School
• Faith Miller (she/her/hers; they/them/theirs): Lisbon High School
• Miyah Morgan (she/her/hers): Central DeWitt High School
• Luke Mueggenberg (he/him/his): Linn-Mar High School
• Claire Opdahl (she/her/hers): Sioux Center High School
• Brody Petig (he/him/his): Grinnell High School
• Tyler Pittman (they/them/theirs): Waukee Northwest High School
• Owen Schriever (he/him/his): Ogden High School
• Rebekah Schurz (she/her/hers): Carlisle High School
• Remi Shaffer (they/them/theirs): Algona High School
• Meredith Sherer (they/them/theirs): Woodbine High School
• Lauren Wessling (she/her/hers): Johnston High School
• Jasper Wirth (he/him/his; they/them/theirs): Algona High School
Local honored with scholarships for advocating LGBTQ+ rights
June 27, 2024