NY Yankees Award $50K Worth of Stonewall Scholarships for NYC Students

For the fourth year in a row, the Yankees, Stonewall Inn, and the DOE teamed up to hit it out the park for Pride Month.

Last month, the New York Yankees, Stonewall Inn, and the NYC Department of Education announced the winners of the 2022 Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative, our fourth annual of celebration of LGTBQ student leadership and excellence. First launched in June 2019 in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative recognizes the achievements of five college-bound City public high school seniors who have demonstrated strong academic achievement alongside meaningful support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning or Queer (LGBTQ) community. As in prior years, one graduating senior per borough was selected for a Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship, and each scholarship recipient received $10,000 for college and/or college-related expenses.

“Pride Month is a time to celebrate, come together, and to honor that which makes us unique,” said Chancellor David Banks when announcing this year’s scholarship winners. “This year’s Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship winners are outstanding examples of young folks using their voices to benefit others and to create safe, inclusive spaces in their school communities and beyond. I am deeply thankful to the New York Yankees and the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative fo their ongoing commitment to empowering and recognizing our LGBTQ+ youth. I look forward to the bright future that our scholarship winners and their peers will fight for and build for us all.”

This year’s five Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship recipients are:

• Xavier Veloz of the Bronx (he/him) — Bronx Theatre High School
  • Will attend Washington University (St. Louis)

• Jacqueline (Alex) Payadue of Queens (she/they) — The Scholars’ Academy
  • Will attend University of Hartford

• Tamanna Chowhury of Manhattan (they/them) — The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem
  • Will attend Columbia University

• Matthew Norris of Brooklyn (he/him) — James Madison High School
  • Will attend Brandeis University

• Alexya Trujillo-Hall of Staten Island  —  Michael J. Petrides School
  • Will attend City College of New York (CCNY)

This year’s recipients were first informed of their awards on a Zoom call with Yankees, Stonewall Inn, and DOE executives on June 3, and then they were invited to Yankee Stadium on June 23 for a ceremony in the Yankees’ Monument Park.

“I was deeply inspired by each of the individuals receiving this year’s scholarships, and it is clear they are on the path to making our world a more tolerant, compassionate, and inclusive place,” said Yankees Senior Vice President and General Manager, Brian Cashman. “Our efforts to nurture the next generation of LGBTQ+ leaders through the Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Program reflects the respect our organization has for the LGBTQ+ community and the contributions and richness it brings to our entire society. Simply put, the Yankees are a friend to the LGBTQ+ community, and Yankee Stadium will always be a place where people can feel safe and encouraged to celebrate who they are. These students represent the best of where our society is headed, and we can’t wait to recognize their accomplishments now and into the future.”

The Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship Initiative is just a small part of the NYC Department of Education’s broader effort to recognize, celebrate, and support the City’s LGBTQ students. Last month, the DOE reaffirmed its commitment to uplifting and celebrating LGBTQ+ communities—starting next school year, the DOE will provide additional training opportunities to educators and expand access to LGBTQ-inclusive materials and curricula, including the Hidden Voices project’s LGBTQ Stories in the United States collection. Together, these efforts will help ensure that NYC public schools are safe and welcome to all students.

On behalf of the DOE, we congratulate all five of this year’s Yankees-Stonewall Scholarship recipients on their achievements, and we wish each and every one of them continued success in college and beyond!

Banner photo by The New York Yankees via Twitter. Used under Creative Commons license. Original can be found on Twitter.