MCC Daily Tribune
Nominations Open for Harvey Milk Scholarship Award for Student Leadership in LGBTQIA+ Community
Second Annual Scholarship Recognizing LGBTQIA+ Rights Champion and University at Albany Alumnus
Albany, NY – In celebration of Pride Month, State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced Tuesday the opening of nominations via the SUNY website for the second annual Harvey Milk Award for Student Leadership The scholarship honors University at Albany class of 1951 alumnus and LGBTQIA+ rights champion Harvey Milk, recognizing an outstanding upper-level student who has dedicated their time to LGBTQIA+ inclusiveness on their campus for fellow students. Nominations from campus presidents, or self-nominations by students, will be accepted through the end of September 2025.
“SUNY is proud to call Harvey Milk an alumnus, and we are honored to help continue his legacy through the Harvey Milk Award for Student Leadership scholarship,” said SUNY Chancellor King. “Harvey Milk was the epitome of leadership during extremely difficult times for the LGBTQIA+ community and has inspired countless others to stand up for equality, justice, and acceptance. I encourage all SUNY students to build on Harvey Milk’s efforts to create a more welcoming and just world for all.”
The SUNY Board of Trustees said, “In celebration of Pride Month and every day of the year, we are committed to uplifting the work and experiences of students in the LGBTQIA+ community throughout our campuses and beyond. We are so proud of each and every SUNY student who not only works to excel scholastically, but also helps build a more welcoming and inclusive campus for themselves and all those who follow.”
Harvey Milk Foundation, General Counsel and Director, Miriam Richter, Esq., said, “The Milk Family and the Harvey Milk Foundation are proud and encouraged by Harvey’s alma mater’s efforts to continue in his legacy and inspire future leaders to embody the principles of hope and inclusivity that Harvey so firmly believed in. Thank you for carrying on the hope.”
SUNY Cortland’s Vinny Aquino was the first recipient of the Harvey Milk Award for Student Leadership. A native of Uniondale, NY, Aquino was nominated, in part, for his efforts to help Pride become one of SUNY Cortland’s most diverse student organizations on campus, not only in terms of gender and sexual orientation but also race, ethnicity, and ability. As a trans man and person with cerebral palsy, Aquino’s lived experience helped inform his leadership. The psychology major graduated last month and will attend the University at Buffalo in the fall to pursue a dual master’s degree in social work and public health. The Harvey Milk Award provides $2,000, which will help fund his education.
SUNY Cortland graduate and inaugural Harvey Milk Award for Student Leadership recipient Vinny Aquino said, “I was so honored to receive SUNY’s Harvey Milk Award. Joining Pride helped me find community early in my college experience and feel happier and more fulfilled. That’s what I’ve always tried to do for others. I hope people know there’s a big queer community that’s willing to embrace everyone in SUNY.”
SUNY Cortland President Erik J. Bitterbaum said, “This was truly wonderful recognition for Vinny and a testament to the importance of Pride and our LGBTQIA+ community, both at SUNY Cortland and across the system. Vinny shines as a student leader who welcomes all people, embraces new ideas, and models SUNY’s vision for inclusive excellence. To be selected as SUNY’s first-ever recipient of this honor was extraordinary.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Though he may be most associated with San Francisco, Harvey Milk was born and raised in New York and was a proud SUNY graduate. He was also an iconic human rights and political advocate who remains an inspiration to millions, myself included. I’m thrilled that during a Pride month, Chancellor King and SUNY are once again honoring this distinguished alumnus by reopening a scholarship program in his name, specifically for students who are working to advance the cause of LGBTQ equality. As an openly gay elected official who has dedicated my life to advocating for LGBTQ rights, I’m excited that SUNY is offering the Harvey Milk Award for Student Leadership and hopeful that it will help provide the resources for deserving SUNY students to complete their studies and continue advancing the cause of LGBTQ human rights.”
State Assembly Higher Education Committee Chair Alicia L. Hyndman said, “The Harvey Milk Scholarship for Student Leadership is a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of a trailblazing advocate and the incredible students who continue his work today. I’m proud to support this initiative, which not only uplifts LGBTQIA+ voices, but also encourages leadership, service, and visibility on SUNY campuses across our state.”
State Assembly Member Deborah J. Glick said, “This recognition of the invaluable role of Harvey Milk in our society is especially meaningful today. As the federal government seeks to erase from history the contributions of LGBTQ Americans, as well as those of people of color, it is vital to keep the torch burning brightly. Thanks to SUNY for this continued honor.”
State Assembly Member Harry B. Bronson said, “As a proud SUNY Alum and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, the Harvey Milk Scholarship Award is a testament to SUNY and New York’s steadfast commitment to equity, justice, and opportunity for all. The Harvey Milk Scholarship is creating opportunities for LGBTQIA+ students to make their voices heard. In the face of today’s attempts to erase our community at the federal level, we must do all we can to amplify these experiences by ensuring we are educating the LGBTQIA+ leaders of the future in the legacy of one of most fearless leaders.”
State Assembly Member Harvey Epstein said, “It is so important to uplift the voices of students. I commend SUNY on offering the Harvey Milk Scholarship for Student Leadership, recognizing students who have dedicated their time to LGBTQIA+ advocacy, and encourage students to apply.”
Criteria for SUNY students interested in applying for the Harvey Milk Scholarship Award include:
- Full-time, upper-class (sophomore, junior, and senior) students and graduate students;
- Students must be in good academic standing;
- Demonstrate a commitment to advancing an inclusive campus community to enhance LGBTQIA+ members' sense of belonging and experiences;
- Demonstrate leadership experiences that have significant and positive impact on campus or local communities in relation to LGBTQIA+ communities, including but not limited to removing barriers that affect LGBTQIA+ experiences, advocating policy changes, or implementing campus-wide events/celebration;
- Nomination required, which includes self-nomination, and must include a one-page essay to support student's candidacy that demonstrates student's involvement and leadership experiences as described in scholarship eligibility and requirements. All nominations must also include one letter of recommendation.
About Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk, a University at Albany alumnus (then called the New York State College for Teachers at Albany), was a visionary civil and human rights leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk's unprecedented and unapologetic proclamation of his authenticity as an openly gay candidate for public office and his subsequent election gave never-before experienced hope to LGBTQIA+ people everywhere at a time when the community was encountering widespread hostility and discrimination. His remarkable career was tragically cut short when he was assassinated nearly a year after taking office.
About the Harvey Milk Foundation
The Harvey Milk Foundation was established by Harvey's nephew Stuart Milk and Harvey's campaign manager, Anne Kronenberg. Stuart, like Harvey, has chosen to speak out as an openly gay advocate for not only the LGBTQIA+ community but also the collective communities of people who remain marginalized or diminished by inequality in the law as well as societal inequality. Harvey Milk believed broad public education and dialogue were paramount to his life's work as a civil rights leader and, as if riding on Harvey's shoulders, the Milk Foundation seeks to inspire individuals, communities and organizations to carry on his values in a timeless vision for a better world.
About The State University of New York
The State University of New York is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in the United States, and more than 95 percent of all New Yorkers live within 30 miles of any one of SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities. Across the system, SUNY has four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, a law school, the country’s oldest school of maritime, the state’s only college of optometry, and manages one US Department of Energy National Laboratory. In total, SUNY serves about 1.4 million students amongst its entire portfolio of credit- and non-credit-bearing courses and programs, continuing education, and community outreach programs. SUNY oversees nearly a quarter of academic research in New York. Research expenditures system-wide are nearly $1.16 billion in fiscal year 2024, including significant contributions from students and faculty. There are more than three million SUNY alumni worldwide, and one in three New Yorkers with a college degree is a SUNY alum.
Veronica Chiesi Brown
Community Relations
06/25/2025