Educated from the Heart

May 27, 2025 | By Elliott Turner

“In 6th grade, I thought to myself: maybe I am not what everyone thinks I am.  I never felt like I was a girl. My gender did not feel solidified, but everyone around me seemed to be fitting neatly into one of only two available categories: girl or boy. I was not questioning who I was – but actually asking – is there a name for how I feel?”

Elliott’s journey of self-discovery began like many others—with a search that finally put words to feelings long held but never articulated.

“I looked online and what I found began to resonate. I discovered the world of being nonbinary. The concept of being completely separate from girl or boy felt like coming home. Suddenly I had a space and a word that allowed me to feel that I don’t have to be only one or the other. I am something different and I am of equal value.”

As Elliott’s sense of identity crystallized, so did his courage. “I became more vocal about who I was becoming. In 8th grade, I came out to my parents. Like many on this path, it was a little bit rocky.”

Elliott’s parents, like many, had constructed a vision of their child’s future based on assumptions that now needed reconsideration. “They had this idea of where I was going to go in life and this didn’t necessarily derail it, but it changed it. They had to rearrange what they thought was going to happen, but they still loved me unconditionally. They put in the work to support me, and they understood how people see me and respect me is so important.”

The pandemic created space and time for Elliott’s family to learn and grow together. They researched resources and gradually came to understand not just Elliott’s identity, but the community they were all becoming part of together.

Elliott’s journey of self-discovery ran parallel to another equally challenging path—navigating the complexities of racial identity in high school and in society at large.

“I am a mixed student. I am Black and white. In high school, I had to contend simultaneously with multiple types of discrimination and racism. The administration wasn’t helpful in protecting students like me and didn’t know how to support marginalized students in general.”

Rather than accepting this reality, Elliott posed a powerful question: “How do I change my own campus?” The answer wasn’t simple. “It was difficult to go through the struggle while also needing to fight that struggle at the same time,” he recalled.

With remarkable resolve, Elliott organized a social justice forum at school—a two-hour event featuring a student panel that examined issues facing LGBTQ+, Black, and other marginalized students.

“We explored how our experiences are bigger than ourselves. It was a productive space where people listened and asked questions. Students said they felt seen at the event even if they were only watching. It made me feel good to do that work, especially because kids younger than me saw our voices being heard by the administration, teachers, school district officials, and other students.”

This activism, born from personal experience with discrimination, ignited Elliott’s passion. “Dealing with racism is what made me so passionate. Adults were asking me what needs to be done. And as the person dealing with it, I kept thinking—why should I be the one making the plan?”

Elliott channeled frustration into action. “I came out much stronger. I wrote a letter to the principal and turned it into a speech which I gave at a NAACP event. I received so much support from those attending who had never met me before, and although they were decades older, they had gone through the same thing. They told me that they knew how to support me, even if the high school administration wasn’t able to at the time. This made me realize how much I want to support other students.”

This thread of social justice activism led Elliott to University of California at Berkeley, where he is a major in political science with an environmental focus. Initially drawn to environmental science and biology, Elliott’s deepening involvement in social justice work shifted his focus toward environmental justice.

“In Berkeley, there are so many people who are unhoused. I saw firsthand during the heat wave how it impacted those living on the streets and how hard it was for people to stay safe. It pushed me to want to do more,” Elliott explains. “I started asking myself about how policy impacts people across America.”

Though college has offered a more supportive environment than high school, it comes with its own challenges. “Finding community in college as an LGBTQ+ student wasn’t entirely easy, but there is an amazing resource center called QARC, a student-run organization for the queer and trans community on campus.”

“This is a community that is consistently there for me. In high school, it didn’t feel like school was supporting me. Queer students didn’t get the resources we needed. This organization is explicitly there for students like me. It dilutes some of the stress and is a safe space to go to if I need help.”

Elliott’s NRCF scholarship enables him to focus entirely on academics, including work with Perennial, an undergraduate journal where he writes about campus emissions. His career aspirations center on environmental policy, particularly as it affects marginalized communities.

“This scholarship keeps me from worrying about needing the money to write my next housing check,” they say. “I am grateful for National Rainbow Scholarship Fund. All the work I’ve been doing is worth it. I’ve always felt like I could be doing more and am excited for what comes next.”

The financial support extends beyond mere practicality. “Scholarships have helped me to cover the financial costs of college, and they have also given me the freedom to focus on my education and my transition. These are two of the most important things to me in life right now.”

Elliott recognizes that this freedom is particularly meaningful for transgender students. “The freedom from worrying about finances in college enables many students to take the necessary time to develop themselves however they need to navigate the path. This is especially true for trans students who want to start their transition.”

Elliott’s story illuminates the vital importance of supporting transgender voices. “Now, more than ever, it is essential to hear and support trans stories and lives. We have been historically oppressed and discriminated against even in queer spaces. Trans people need community support to continue engaging in freedoms granted to all: the freedom of speech, assembly, and expression.”

Through Elliott’s journey—from questioning middle schooler to college activist—we see the transformative power of finding one’s voice and using it to create change. His story reminds us that education happens not just in classrooms but in the heart. At our core, we all want to be loved, accepted and able to be our most authentic selves. NRCF is aimed at working to make the world a place where there will be space for everyone to be unapologetically themselves.

Elliott’s courageous journey was recently reflected in ABC7 News, Go Magazine, MSN and KQED.  

These news outlets spotlighted the groundbreaking work of National Rainbow College Fund which has provided scholarships to LGBTQ+ students, offering opportunities like the one Elliott has received. 

Elliott’s story is just one example of how support can transform lives. By donating to NRCF, you can help empower more students like Elliott to thrive in their education and make a lasting impact on their communities.

Donate today: https://rainbowcollegefund.org/donate/