Anthony Copeland (born in 1994, from Western Australia) was awarded the John Goldbaum Scholarship for 2020. Anthony completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne and an Honours year at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute before undertaking a Doctor of Medicine (Masters) at the University of Western Australia. Anthony will enter his…

“It still doesn’t feel real to me that I have such an amazing community behind me and so much support from my mentor, my fellow scholars and the foundation in general.” I am extremely grateful and fortunate to have become part of the Pinnacle family this year. Thanks to the Pinnacle foundation I can relax…

Having a driving force such as the Pinnacle Foundation behind you is an unparalleled experience, one which embeds within you a determination to change the world. The support and encouragement that the Foundation seemingly inexhaustibly grants you, in conjunction with the sense of self-worth it reinstates within you, affords young LGBT+ people such as myself…

I only realised how difficult the last few years have been after I received a Pinnacle scholarship. Before I received the scholarship, I was only just getting by financially and I felt as though no one in my medical degree understood what I was going through. Being able to talk to my mentor about medicine…

Being in such awe-inspiring company as my fellow scholars and the Pinnacle team, I am beyond grateful for the acceptance and belonging that this organisation has endowed me with. It goes without saying that I feel truly empowered to committing myself as a future practitioner to tackling the various social and health inequalities that plague…

For 2020, Elyse Wilson (born 1998, female, from Tasmania) has been granted the Dr. White and Rod Anderson Tasmanian Scholarship. Elyse is currently in her third year of a Medical degree at the University of Tasmania and in 2020 she will be starting to work in the rural clinical school in Burnie.  Elyse enjoys the opportunity to…

I talked myself out of applying for a scholarship 3 years in a row because I thought I wasn’t queer enough or disadvantaged enough. It wasn’t until I was about to start my final year that I decided I truly needed it and now I’m here and cursing my past self for being so worried…

This year The Harvey Milk Scholarship was awarded to Jayde (born in 1995, from Melbourne) who will commence her third year of a Doctor of Medicine at the University of Queensland after completing a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne. Jayde is focused on improving LGBTIQ+ Australians’ access to suitable healthcare and endeavours…

This scholarship not only provides me with financial aid but also the means, in the form of a mentor, to properly motivate and help me achieve my absolute academic best, as well as allowing me to become more involved and active in LGBT+ events and organisations. I’m truly one of the lucky few to embrace…

“Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you.” ~ Tyrion Lannister I am humbly grateful for The Pinnacle Foundation awarding me a Maurice Joyce Named Scholarship, which has provided me with extraordinary opportunities in achieving my goal to become…

My name is Melodie. I am a third year student in the five year Bachelor of Medical Science and Doctor of Medicine program at the University of New England in Armidale. I am a Queensland girl at heart, having grown up in the sugar cane town of Mackay, before completing my secondary education in Brisbane.…

Hello! My name is Mikhayla and I am very excited to be starting my first year of my Doctor of Medicine at the University of Sydney in 2021. I’m located at the Nepean Clinical School based at Nepean Hospital in Penrith where I will attend one day a week with the other days of the…

“My world’s been flipped on its head this year, and without the support of Pinnacle it wouldn’t have been possible.” I’ve been able to move away from regional SA to be closer to hospital and end the 3 hour commute I’d been making every day for the previous 4 years. By gaining the financial independence to…

I feel very honoured and proud to be a 2011 recipient of this scholarship and I look forward to the day I graduate and start working in the field so that I too can involve myself in the foundation and give back maybe just some of what has been offered to me when I need…

Joining The Pinnacle Foundation has been incredibly meaningful to me, and I am grateful to have been chosen as a recipient of such a generous and inclusive scholarship program.   I am currently enrolled in the Doctor of Medicine at UniMelb, and hope to graduate in 2023 following completion of a Masters of Public Health alongside the MD program.  …

I am very grateful to be awarded a 2018 Pinnacle Foundation Scholarship, and knowing that I have the support and encouragement of the Foundation, and my mentor is invaluable. I am looking forward to being able to use this opportunity to excel in my studies and career path, and work towards improving the health of…

My aim is to pursue a career in healthcare … a huge field, I know! I have become increasingly certain that this is a career that infuses my fundamental values – helping wholeheartedly, compassion and service to others. I will be studying Medicine and Surgery at Curtin University. I believe Medicine will offer this balance between care and empathy and the critical thinking…

If you’d have told a 14-year-old me he’d be the recipient of a scholarship specifically for Queer Students he’d have never believed you. To be the recipient of Pinnacle Scholarship in 2018 is both incredibly humbling and validating as young gay man. Having moved from the country to Adelaide in 2016 to study Medicine the…

I am incredibly grateful and honoured to be a recipient of a Pinnacle Foundation Scholarship. It is amazing to know that there are institutions like the Pinnacle Foundation who are willing and able to provide financial and mental support to myself and other LGBT+ youth, as the obstacles we can face can prevent us from…

Yaama, my name is Shania, and I am a proud Gomeroi woman. I am in my final year of a Masters of Sexology at Curtin University in Boorloo (Perth). I am intensely passionate about the education of my mob and plan to use everything I learn to uplift and empower my people. I aspire to deliver…

Although I struggled in the first 6 months I stuck with it. But later I saw how fruitful it was because of the work I did in the first 6 months with Lindamood-Bell. I believe that my mentor and the scholarship help me considerably by assuring me I had the skills to make my Year…

In 2020, Sujin Jang (born in 1998, female) has been awarded The Peter Brennan AM and Michael Lynch Scholarship.  Sujin is beginning her fourth year in medicine at the University of New South Wales. Sujin is dedicated to following a career path that will allow her to contribute positively to the status of the LGBTIQ+…

Hey, my name is Theo! I am a trans man currently studying a Doctor of Medicine at Charles Sturt University in Orange. In 2023, I will be going into my second year of study with another three to go.  I have a previous background in science and completed a Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry at UNSW…

Thomas Drake-Brockman (born in 1994, from Western Australia) is a student doctor, emerging medical researcher, and software engineer, focussed on improving the lives of sick and injured children. Thomas will be entering into their final year of the Doctor of Medicine at the University of Western Australia. This follows undergraduate studies in Computer Science and…