Mission
To empower LGBTQ+ youth through mentorship, creativity, and community-based learning and create a world where queer youth see themselves as creators, leaders, and architects of their own futures.
Our Chapters
Queer Futures Fellowship is a multi-campus initiative with active chapters at the University of Southern California (USC) and San José State University (SJSU). Our chapter model is designed to be adaptable and student-led, allowing each campus to build affirming programming responsive to its own community while remaining connected to a shared mission. We are actively seeking new campus partners and student leaders interested in launching future chapters.
The Fellowship offers a virtual core program open to participants nationwide; students do not need to be affiliated with a university chapter to participate. University chapters provide additional opportunities and resources, which may include stipends for mentors-mentees, program swag, and catered in-person events for selected high school and university students in that region.
Chapter leadership may also host optional volunteer, social, or professional development events and offer in-person mentor–mentee meetings alongside the virtual program. In some cases, in-person participation may be required upon special acceptance.
Interested in starting a chapter at your university?
Contact us at queerfuturesfellowship@gmail.com. When you reach out, include your school, your role (student, faculty, or staff), and what kind of programming you’re interested in starting.
Leadership Team
Co-Founders & Fellowship Leads
Sooki R. F. Beeley (she/her)
“We are called to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly.” — Micah 6:8
I’m a senior at University of Southern California majoring in psychology on the pre-medical and pre-law tracks, double-minoring in Psychology & Law and Healthcare Studies, and I’m part of Thematic Option Honors Program. I graduated as a valedictorian with awards in arts, psychology, computer science, and entrepreneurship. My passion for research, medicine, mental health care, and the legal system drives everything I do, and I’m committed to work that contributes to a better world.
At the San Mateo County Pride Center’s Youth Advisory Board, I’ve co-led multiple community projects, such as co-curating a queer-themed booklist that helped build a library at Outlet, used in local schools and libraries, and co-leading the publication of an illustrated LGBTQ+ children’s history book. I care deeply about creating accessible, affirming spaces for queer youth to learn, create, and feel seen.
To me, mentorship is a responsibility: knowledge gives you power, and power gives you duty. Carry it forward. The world will not fix itself.
William J. Loh (he/him)
“My sides are many, my angles aren’t few. I’m the Dodecahedron, and who are you?” – The Phantom Tollbooth
I’m an undergraduate student at the University of Southern California majoring in Human Biology on the pre-medical track, and I’m part of the Science Honors Program. I raised $20,000 for various medical charities, including Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Candlelighters NYC, and Hope & Heroes Foundation, later continuing my community financial development efforts through an internship at Montefiore Einstein. Through this, I found my passion in community service and finding resources to help populations in need, and I hope to continue this work throughout my career.
My favorite pastimes include sports, particularly running, wrestling, and lacrosse. Using sports as a platform for connection, I’ve made it my mission to create warm and welcoming environments where queer individuals have been previously invisible. Aside from athletics, I enjoy writing and poetry, while perfecting the art of charcuterie.
Through empathy and understanding, we can create an integrated community that welcomes all. By co-founding Queer Futures, I hope to help build systems of support that champion LGBTQ+ students in every field, both athletic and professional.
Campus Leads
Co-Student Leads, University of Southern California
Sooki R. F. Beeley (she/her) & William J. Loh (he/him)
Student Lead, San José State University
Danny Castillo (they/them)
Danny Castillo (they/them) is an Interdisciplinary Master’s student at San Jose State University, specializing in queer anthropology and child development.
They bring valuable expertise in diversity, equity, and inclusion to their work at Queer Hope Institute, informed by their research in queer theory and LGBTQIA+ youth wellbeing.
Danny is also a Santa Clara County representative for the Bay Area Artist Census Fellowship through Vital Arts, and a committee member for GenARTS Silicon Valley.
They hold a Cum Laude Bachelor’s in Child and Adolescent Development, with a focus on Early Childhood Education. In their free time, Danny enjoys creative pursuits like zine-making and songwriting, and spending time with their partners and cats.
Social Media Associate
Arsen Babasyan (he/him)
Arsen Babasyan (he/him) is a chemical engineering major and photographer whose work centers on education, environmental justice, and community impact, with active allyship to LGBTQ+ students and communities. As the former Social Media Manager at Los Angeles City College, he grew the college’s online presence to over 9,000 followers. He works as a chemistry tutor at LACC and as an Early Education Teaching Intern with the Angelo Corps Program at Para Los Niños. Arsen completed the LA Regional Cleantech Academy, where he worked on a capstone project addressing air pollution and wildfire risk near Griffith Park through equity-focused cleantech solutions, and the United Way Mentorship Program, where he was mentored by an engineer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He is trilingual in Armenian, Russian, and English and is a recipient of the Osher Scholarship.
Advisors
Robert Marx (they/them)
Robert Marx (they/them) is an Associate Professor of Child and Adolescent Development in the Lurie College of Education at San Jose State University and the Director of the Queer Hope Institute.
Their research examines how family, school, and community supports contribute to the well-being of queer and trans youth, empowering them to live authentic, fulfilling lives. Robert collaborates with LGBTQIA+ community groups, schools and school districts, and community organizations to create queer-affirming spaces and improve their policies and practices.
They live in the Bay Area with their lovely husband and the world’s cutest dog, a poodle-mix named Poppy. A walking encyclopedia of The Golden Girls, Frasier, and Murder, She Wrote facts, Robert would be an asset to any trivia team—or any discussion of television made for older women.
Taylor Rokala (they/them)
Taylor Rokala (they/them) joined Adolescent Counseling Services in 2025 as an Outreach Coordinator for the Outlet team. They grew up in San Mateo and graduated from Occidental College with a B.A. in Critical Theory and Social Justice.
Pursuing their passion for advocacy, Taylor has interned at Interfaith Refugee & Immigration Service and Muslim Public Affairs Counsel, in addition to on-campus advocacy through Oxy Sexual Assault Coalition and Students for Justice in Palestine. Taylor enjoys exploring different art mediums, most recently tufting and clothing design.
Join Our Team
The Queer Futures Fellowship is co-founded and led by Sooki Beeley and William Loh, who oversee the program’s design, curriculum, mentorship structure, and partnerships. As the Fellowship grows, we’re expanding our leadership team to include dedicated roles that support communication, outreach, and community collaboration. These roles reflect where we’re headed and the kind of sustainable, youth-centered program we want to build.
Social Media Manager (Open Volunteer Position)
Role Summary:
The Social Media Manager is responsible for shaping and maintaining the Queer Futures Fellowship’s digital presence across Instagram and LinkedIn, ensuring our work, values, and youth-led projects are shared in ways that are clear, compelling, and affirming. This role plays a key part in translating the Fellowship’s mission into consistent, inventive content that highlights mentorship, creativity, leadership, and community impact.
The Social Media Manager will work closely with Sooki Beeley (Co-Founder), who will provide onboarding, brand guidelines, and ongoing guidance on visual identity, storytelling, and strategy. While supported, this role has meaningful creative ownership and helps determine how our programs and participants are represented publicly.
Key Responsibilities:
- Plan, create, and schedule regular Instagram and LinkedIn content (including posts, carousels, stories, and announcements), maintaining a weekly or biweekly posting rhythm that aligns with Fellowship timelines and priorities.
- Design visually cohesive graphics in Canva using established Fellowship branding (colors, tone, fonts, and visual style), and adapt content thoughtfully across formats and platforms.
- Write clear, accessible, and youth-centered captions that reflect the Fellowship’s mission while remaining engaging and easy to understand for a broad audience.
- Highlight mentor and mentee achievements, creative projects, zine features, and Fellowship milestones by translating program outcomes into engaging digital stories that amplify youth voices with care, consent, and clarity.
- Support recruitment and outreach by promoting application cycles, deadlines, events, workshops, and collaborations, including creating countdowns, reminders, and informational posts around key program moments.
- Contribute to the Fellowship’s growth by helping build visibility across youth, student, and LGBTQ+ community networks, experimenting with creative post formats and storytelling approaches.
- Monitor basic engagement metrics (likes, comments, shares) and offer thoughtful suggestions for improving reach, clarity, and resonance over time.
- Collaborate closely with Sooki Beeley and the leadership team to align content with program goals, translate internal updates into public-facing announcements, and incorporate feedback in a timely, collaborative way.
Ideal Qualifications:
- Comfortable using Instagram and LinkedIn for organizational or advocacy-based content
- Confident with Canva and visual storytelling
- Strong written communication skills and a clear, approachable tone
- Interest in LGBTQ+ advocacy, youth mentorship, education, or community-building
- Organized, reliable, and comfortable working with deadlines
- Open to feedback and excited to develop a cohesive brand voice
No prior professional social media experience required — enthusiasm, reliability, and creativity matter most.
What This Role Offers:
- Direct mentorship and training in branding, content strategy, and youth-centered digital storytelling.
- Hands-on experience managing Instagram and LinkedIn for a mission-driven, LGBTQ+ youth mentorship organization.
- Creative ownership with guidance, including the chance to pitch ideas and shape how the Fellowship presents its work publicly.
- Portfolio-ready work that can be used for resumes, applications, or creative portfolios.
- A supportive, queer-affirming environment with flexible, student-friendly expectations.
- May be eligible for a stipend, contingent on funding availability.
Outreach Coordinator (Open Volunteer Position)
Role Summary:
The Outreach Coordinator builds and maintains relationships between the Queer Futures Fellowship and schools, GSAs, LGBTQ+ organizations, and community partners. This role supports the Fellowship’s growth by helping connect new mentors and mentees to our programs, strengthening partnerships, and expanding awareness of our work within youth-serving and LGBTQ+ spaces.
Working closely with Fellowship leadership, the Outreach Coordinator helps translate our mission into clear, respectful outreach and ensures communication with partners is organized, timely, and relationship-centered.
Key Responsibilities:
- Conduct outreach to high schools, GSAs, LGBTQ+ clubs, community centers, and youth-serving organizations to share information about Fellowship programs and opportunities.
- Support recruitment efforts by helping identify and contact potential mentors, mentees, and collaborators, and directing interested parties to applications or informational materials.
- Build and maintain relationships with community partners, including organizations such as San Mateo County Pride Center and Outlet, ensuring ongoing communication and collaboration.
- Track outreach efforts, contacts, and responses using shared documents or spreadsheets to support follow-up and continuity.
- Coordinate with Fellowship leadership to align outreach efforts with application cycles, program timelines, and recruitment goals.
- Assist with planning and supporting collaborative events, workshops, presentations, or service opportunities with partner organizations.
- Represent the Fellowship in meetings, info sessions, or community spaces when available (virtual or in-person), communicating the Fellowship’s mission clearly and professionally.
- Help adapt outreach messaging for different audiences (educators, students, community leaders) while maintaining a consistent, affirming tone.
Ideal Qualifications:
- Comfortable communicating via email, phone, or virtual meetings with teachers, counselors, community leaders, and organization staff.
- Organized and reliable, with the ability to manage multiple contacts and ongoing conversations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Interest in youth programming, LGBTQ+ advocacy, education, or community development.
- Able to work collaboratively and take initiative while receiving guidance and feedback.
Prior outreach or nonprofit experience is welcome but not required.
What This Role Offers:
- Mentorship in community outreach, partnership-building, and nonprofit collaboration.
- Hands-on experience working with schools and LGBTQ+ organizations.
- Flexible, student-friendly responsibilities in a queer-affirming environment.
- Meaningful contribution to expanding access and opportunity for LGBTQ+ youth.
- May be eligible for a stipend, contingent on funding availability.
Finance Lead (Open Volunteer Position)
Role Summary:
The Finance Lead is responsible for supporting the financial sustainability and growth of the Queer Futures Fellowship by leading fundraising coordination and assisting with sponsorship development. This role works directly under William Loh, who will provide structured training and mentorship in fundraising strategy, sponsor outreach, budgeting, and nonprofit financial planning.
The Finance Lead plays a critical role in ensuring the Fellowship has the resources necessary to support stipends, programming, events, and chapter expansion. This position requires reliability, organization, and comfort working with sensitive financial information and external partners.
Key Responsibilities:
- Assist in identifying, researching, and pursuing funding opportunities, including sponsorships, grants, institutional partnerships, and individual donations.
- Support and help lead general fundraising efforts, such as donation campaigns, sponsorship asks, and fundraising initiatives tied to program milestones.
- Work closely with William Loh to develop and maintain fundraising strategies aligned with the Fellowship’s short- and long-term financial needs.
- Help draft and coordinate sponsorship materials, including outreach emails, pitch decks, sponsorship tiers, and donor-facing summaries.
- Coordinate donor and sponsor outreach by tracking contacts, follow-ups, responses, and commitments in shared documents.
- Track fundraising progress against goals and provide clear, organized updates to Fellowship leadership.
- Support basic financial organization, including maintaining records related to donations, sponsorships, and designated funding purposes (e.g., stipends, events).
- Assist with budgeting discussions related to programming, stipends, and chapter operations to ensure funds are used responsibly and transparently.
- Uphold confidentiality, professionalism, and accuracy when handling financial or donor-related information.
Ideal Qualifications:
- Strong interest in fundraising, nonprofit finance, organizational sustainability, or social impact work.
- Comfortable with professional outreach, follow-ups, and clear written communication.
- Highly organized and detail-oriented, with the ability to manage deadlines and track multiple fundraising efforts at once.
- Reliable and accountable, especially when handling time-sensitive or financial information.
- Open to learning, receiving feedback, and working closely with leadership on strategy and execution.
No prior finance or fundraising experience required — training and mentorship will be provided. Reliability, initiative, and follow-through matter most.
What This Role Offers:
- Direct mentorship in fundraising strategy, sponsorship development, and nonprofit financial planning.
- Hands-on experience supporting real budgets, fundraising campaigns, and financial decision-making.
- Resume-relevant exposure to nonprofit operations and sustainability work.
- Meaningful responsibility within a mission-driven organization where financial work directly supports LGBTQ+ youth opportunities.
- Flexible, student-friendly expectations paired with clear accountability.
- May be eligible for a stipend, contingent on funding availability.
Interested in joining our team?
To be considered for a leadership role, please submit a résumé and a 1-2 paragraph statement detailing your experience, qualifications, and interest in the position to queerfuturesfellowship@gmail.com.
Affiliated Organizations & Initiatives
San Mateo County Pride Center
The San Mateo County Pride Center is the first LGBTQ+ community center in the county, offering mental health services, community events, youth programs, and leadership opportunities for queer and questioning people of all ages. The Center serves as a hub for connection, education, and advocacy, providing affirming support for LGBTQ+ individuals and their families across the region. The Queer Futures Fellowship is developed in partnership with the Pride Center’s Youth Program, and reflects the Center’s mission of uplifting queer youth through creativity, mentorship, and community leadership.
Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
The Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is a leadership council of LGBTQ+ young people ages 14–25 who guide, design, and shape youth programming at both the San Mateo County Pride Center and Outlet: Adolescent Counseling Services. As a member of YAB, Sooki Beeley helps plan and publicize youth events, provide input on services, and represent the needs of queer youth in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. The Queer Futures Fellowship was created in conjunction with YAB leadership and is rooted in YAB’s commitment to empowering youth voices, building community, and expanding access to affirming, youth-centered resources.
Outlet: Adolescent Counseling Services
Outlet is a program of Adolescent Counseling Services dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth through counseling, leadership development, school-based programming, and community education. Serving young people across the Peninsula, Outlet provides safe spaces where youth can explore identity, build confidence, and access mental health resources. Through its partnership with the Pride Center and YAB, Outlet plays a key role in supporting and uplifting queer youth in the region. The Queer Futures Fellowship builds on this foundation by offering mentorship, creative expression, and future-focused skill-building for LGBTQ+ high school students.
SJSU: Queer Hope Institute & Rainbow F.L.A.S.H
Queer Futures Fellowship partners with Queer Hope Institute, a San José State University–affiliated organization that supports queer and trans youth through affirming, research-informed programming. Queer and trans youth in the Bay Area and across the country continue to face disproportionate violence and discrimination, increasing risks of poor mental health and negative academic outcomes; sustained, affirming spaces are proven to counteract these harms. This collaboration is strengthened through alignment with Rainbow F.L.A.S.H, a grant-funded initiative supporting LGBTQ+ youth and families through affirming community clinics in Santa Clara County. SJSU mentor-mentee stipends are generously funded by Betty Duong for the Spring 2026 Fellowship.
Interested in partnering with us?
Queer Futures Fellowship welcomes partnerships with:
- Universities interested in hosting or supporting campus chapters
- Researchers and evaluators interested in studying program impact
- Community organizations serving queer and trans youth
- Public-sector agencies or school districts supporting youth wellbeing and access
- Healthcare and mental health organizations offering affirming resources or partnerships
- College access or scholarship programs supporting marginalized youth
- Arts or cultural organizations supporting youth expression and community building
- Alumni networks or affinity groups supporting mentorship and career development
- Sponsors and funders seeking to support scalable, affirming youth programming
- Corporate social impact teams interested in supporting youth equity initiatives
- Affirming faith-based or community centers supporting queer and trans youth
We welcome partnerships of all sizes and are happy to explore collaborative models that fit your capacity and goals. To inquire about a partnership, contact queerfuturesfellowship@gmail.com.