The 2021-2022 school year is about to begin and we wanted to kick it off by introducing you to our scholars! This year, we had such a hard time choosing between a ton of incredible applicants. Ultimately, the five we went with are doing spectacular things in their communities and making life better for their LGBTQ+ peers.
Meet Luka Isa Gidwani, who is attending UCLA. Read their essays below:
The spirit of Drew Scholarship would help me make a positive impact and continue my work in the LGBTQ+ community because I would utilize it to expand my knowledge and experiences working with my fellow Queer and/or Transgender Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (QTBIPOC) communities. I am currently a first year transfer student at the University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA) and I am pursuing two majors: Philosophy and Gender Studies as well as a minor in LGBTQ Studies. I will most likely stay an extra year because transfer students are typically expected to stay only two years and that is simply not enough time for me to take advantage of the opportunities and resources that UCLA has to offer. Since I am pursuing two degrees, I will need the extra year and will not be taking any summer or winter breaks at any point. I also work for the Center for Community College Partnerships (CCCP) and am an intern at UCLA’s LGBTQ Campus Resource Center (CRC), so I would love to stay an extra year to continue working at both and also strengthen their alliances so I can create a space at CCCP and the LGBTQ CRC for community college and transfer students who are QTBIPOC. This scholarship would assist me in continuing my studies at UCLA for an additional year while also still providing support to my QTBIPOC communities.
Intersectionality is not something that I have the ability to look at from an outsider perspective, because I literally experience it everyday of my life and it’s not by choice. I experience life as someone who is a Latinx queer and transgender person of color and also lives with disabilities. These are not just labels or categories, but my actual, inescapable identities that impact me every single day of my life. So, I believe that intersectionality is a necessary framework that must be utilized in analyzing the conditions of people’s lives and understanding social inequalities, because without it, we could never achieve true liberation from the forms of oppression that kill us.
Through all the trauma and suffering that white supremacy, capitalism, and the patriarchy have put me through, I remain resilient and continue to live and survive. And it’s truly not fair to say that my traumas have made me the leader I am today, because I shouldn’t need to suffer to know how to support and guide others. But, through my intersectional experiences, I have learned some of the most valuable skills such as compassion, understanding, and sensitivity, which are all necessary for one to be a good leader. These skills have also helped me become a better listener and more open-minded, which have helped in expanding my knowledge of other peoples’ lived experiences and how best to support them in their life journeys. As a result, I have also learned about the significance of holding space for other people and collaborating with people of different backgrounds and life experiences. It’s important to acknowledge that everyone experiences and perceives life differently, so we must always hold space for others and allow them the space to share their experiences, ideas, struggles, emotions, and so on. Essentially, as a leader, I believe that it is very crucial to step back and not speak over other people’s experiences. I also believe that for someone to be a good leader, they must be able to provide safety and security to others in order to build community.
All of my values as a leader are a direct result of the ways in which my multiple identities intersect and the ways I have experienced so much trauma and suffering due to the oppression that comes with them all. Although I am transgender, people perceive me as a “woman,” thus, they treat me accordingly. So not only do I experience transphobia, but I also experience misogyny simultaneously. And on top of that, I also experience racism, classism, and ableism. I live with PTSD because I have been assaulted, abused, and harassed my entire life for being perceived as a woman in public spaces and even among my close social circles. Because of my awareness of the intersectionality of the oppression that I experience, I am able to view life through an intersectional lens.
Luka/Isa Gidwani Monterrubio (they/he) was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. They are a transfer student attending UCLA and transferred from East Los Angeles College (ELAC) in 2020. At UCLA, Luka/Isa is double majoring in Philosophy and Gender Studies and minoring in LGBTQ Studies. Besides academics, some of their hobbies include making jewelry, painting, playing video games, collecting stickers, supporting small businesses, roller skating, hanging out with friends, and adventuring throughout the city via public transportation.
Luka/Isa loves building community with fellow Queer and/or Trans Black, Indigenous, and/or People of Color (QTBIPOC), so don’t be shy to reach out to them! They are very thankful and honored to be a recipient of the Spirit of Drew Scholarship and look forward to continuing their work within the LGBTQ community, but more particularly with QTBIPOC.