The 25 scholarships will assist LGBTIQ scholars in secondary education.

The Pinnacle Foundation has announced that 25 scholarships will be provided for new and continuing LGBTIQ scholars. The scholarships assist the scholars, aged 16 to 24, in secondary or tertiary education

This year, there were a record number of applications from all around Australia. The scholarships, which total $96,000, cover a range of academic disciplines across the Arts, Science, Business, Education and Social Work sectors.

In the program, each scholar is paired with a successful mentor who shares the scholar’s sexual or gender identity, location, and academic ambition. This allows the mentors to share the guidance and skills gained throughout their own careers on a deeper level.

The Pinnacle Foundation has awarded a total of $363,000 in grants over the past nine years. The program has also paired over 100 mentors with mentees, with the help of individual philanthropy and corporate donors.

One recipient, 20-year-old Jen Chan, a Bachelor of Law and Commerce student, received the Paul Zahra Pinnacle Scholarship.

“It is a great privilege to be selected as a scholar for the Pinnacle Foundation,” Jen said.

“This opportunity will allow me to fully pursue my education and dreams of becoming a lawyer, minus the concerns of financial issues. I also know that this support from the Pinnacle Foundation will provide me with the necessary emotional encouragement to continue advocating for greater change and equality with the LGBTIQ community.”

Sean Linkson, Pinnacle CEO and co-founder, said, “As the only organisation in Australia that provides scholarships and mentoring to disadvantaged and marginalised LGBTIQ young adult students, run entirely by volunteers, we feel privileged to offer opportunities and inspiration to the bright, talented and ambitious young scholars of 2016, and look forward to seeing them as the future leaders in our community.”