2008 POINT SCHOLARS

Lena Thompson

Kevin Hummer Point Scholar

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Performing Arts Technology

Lena was born into a family of five children in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She began questioning her sexuality at a young age, but a strict Baptist upbringing prohibited her from openly expressing her feelings. During high school, she struggled with the weight of living a double-life, but excelled academically and received her associate’s degree in Music Production at the age of seventeen.

Facing inevitable familial and religious conflict, she left home at eighteen and came out shortly thereafter. Many lifelong friendships grew estranged, but several LGBT community leaders and friends surfaced providing her with a renewed sense of family and belonging. With the encouragement of this ‘new family,’ she signed up to volunteer at the Task Force’s 2008 Creating Change Conference. Her experience of the conference opened her eyes to the importance of role models and the need for the current generation to work towards paving the way for future LGBT leaders.

Lena currently studies Performing Arts Technology and Counseling at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Following graduation, she plans to enter a master’s program in Entertainment and Media Management. Her passions for business, music, and mentoring have evolved into a vision for her life’s work which involves establishing community centers and programs to provide artistic spaces for underprivileged youth. Lena recognizes the vital role LGBT community elders played in sustaining her through her teenage years, and plans to continue the tradition by mentoring and supporting future generations.