Zach Zyskowski, a former Northern California resident, grew up in a small town. He came out as gay at the age of 13 and felt an immediate sense of negative feedback from his hometown.

Jorge Valencia, right, Point Foundation’s executive director and CEO, and Point scholar Michael Haymer discuss Haymer becoming a future Point Foundation mentor. (photo by Patricia Sanchez)

“I had people react very strongly,” Zyskowski said. “I was called names and was bullied.”

Zyskowski, now a Los Angeles based TV producer, said he struggled throughout his teen years to fit into his community. When it came time to apply for college, the young scholar looked for any resource he could, and that’s when he stumbled across the Point Foundation.

Since it was established in 2001, Point Foundation, the nation’s largest nonprofit LGBTQ scholarship fund, has provided a stepping stone for those in the LGBTQ community, like Zyskowski, to fulfill academic and career goals.

Aside from providing students with a monetary scholarship, the foundation also provides them with a mentor and support program.

“I wouldn’t have been able to go to college if it weren’t for [Point Foundation],” Zyskowski said. “I feel like I have a wonderful family support system with the Point [Foundation].”

What made the difference, Zyskowski said, was the opportunity to be surrounded and mentored by successful members of the LGBTQ community, something he never had access to before.

Rhys Ernst, a 2010 Point Scholar and filmmaker, said Point Foundation not only helped him financially when he went back to school to become a filmmaker, but also helped him make important connections within his field that led him to television projects such as the series “Transparent,” for which he is now co-producer.

Ernst moved from New York to California to attend the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). It was during that time he decided to make the transition from female to male.

“I started hormones in New York and sort of timed it out so that by the time I left to move to California … that’s when I would sort of be passing and the transition would commence,” Ernst said.

During his time at CalArts, Ernst delved into his transgender identity and applied his experience to his work.

“It really became evident to me that I wanted to not let my transgender history or identity disappear or become invisible as I transitioned,” Ernst said. “I wanted to commit to making it a part of my work using filmmaking as a tool to talk about trans-identity.”

During his last year of graduate school, Ernst applied for and was awarded, the HBO Point Scholarship.

“I feel like Point was really important at that juncture for, me to really solidify my path,” Ernst said. “The scholarship that I benefited from at that time helped me develop my feature film which is how I met [the director of “Transparent”] so it all sort of connected.”

Through its scholarships and community outreach programs, the foundation supports and mentors outstanding individuals who not only seek to better themselves, but better their community.

Jorge Valencia, the foundation’s executive director and CEO said the Point Foundation has helped many aspiring youth in the LGBTQ community to fulfill their academic and leadership potential.

Over 300 scholarships have been awarded to students across the nation. These scholarships are funded through donations and contributions from individuals and other organizations. Valencia said he believes Point Foundation helps fill a financial and social gap many young LGBTQ students often face.

“We believe everyone should have access to higher education regardless of who you are or who you love,” Valencia said. “The primary purpose is really to help these young people who are often not receiving the support that they should be and certainly deserve … and to help them fulfill their full academic leadership potential.”

While Point Foundation employees and mentors strive to help their scholars in any way possible, Valencia noted the organization has very high standards for its applicants. The application process, he said, is very intense and scholars have to be deeply committed to using their resources to make a difference.

“We invest heavily in leadership training and we also are firm believers in not giving handouts, so every young person is required to complete a community service project every year that they’re supported by the organization.”

Current scholar Michael Haymer said he has benefited from the Point Foundation’s mentorship program and wants to become a mentor himself after he finishes medical school.

“I don’t know how to describe it other than I gravitated toward Point [Foundation], and the mission really grabbed me,” Haymer said. “I want to be a mentor one day … the organization is filled with so many role models for me in so many different capacities all across the board.”

Haymer, who grew up in a conservative area in Orange County, said Point Foundation has opened up his eyes to the possibilities of becoming not just a successful person in the medical field, but being able to do so while feeling accepted as a gay individual.

Many Point Foundation scholars and alumni alike share similar backgrounds and adversities. With the opportunities Point Foundation has provided them, they’ve been able to overcome stigmas and barriers, and for individuals such as Haymer, Ernst and Zyskowski, the foundation has given them vital support.

“Above all else, when you talk to our scholars or alumni, one of the biggest benefits they see, and that we hear over and over, is a sense of community,” Valencia said. “For young people who often don’t feel that, either in their homes or in their churches or in their own communities, finding other like-minded individuals who accept them for who they are and who they aim to become really is very empowering.”

The Point Foundation’s Los Angeles office is located at 5055 Wilshire Blvd. Valencia said the organization is currently accepting applications for the upcoming 2016-2017 scholarship through Jan. 19. He encourages young scholars in the LQBTQ community to apply. For further information, visit www.pointfoundation.org.