Cornell University Scholar Wins Prestigious Fellowship, Champions LGBTQ+ Representation
Posse Scholar Christopher Moy-Lopez, a senior at Cornell University, has been awarded the prestigious Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. Christopher is pursuing a double-major in feminist, gender & sexuality studies and government.
The Mellon Mays program aims to address the underrepresentation of minorities in academia. As a participant in the program, Christopher’s research will focus on gender politics and issues related to sex work and the commodification of intimacy.
“I have to connect the dots in different spheres and tie together different disciplines,” says Christopher. “And it is important not to ‘otherize’ communities along the way.”
Christopher is also the founder of the QUEER Magazine, Cornell’s first LGBTQ+ magazine dedicated to uplifting queer voices.
“Other magazines were missing an intersectional approach that centered BIPOC perspectives,” Christopher says. “I contacted my friend, and we met with someone from the student activities office and got everything started.”
QUEER Magazine’s fourth issue will be released this year. The publication includes storytelling through a BIPOC lens alongside art, poetry, and fashion spreads. The production team is currently planning a ballroom release party for the latest issue, drawing funding from on-campus housing space “The Lodge,” a tenant-owned co-operative for low-income BIPOC students.
Christopher was born and raised in Chicago and is of Chinese and Guatemalan descent. In addition to speaking Spanish, they also began learning conversational Turkish in elementary school, and began studying Mandarin in college.
Christopher says Posse has been a pillar of support throughout their undergraduate career.
“My Posse has been there through ups and downs,” they say. “I had a lot of trouble being homesick in the transition to college, and I battled imposter syndrome. When I was with my Posse, those thoughts would dissipate. I was with my community, and they had my back.”
Christopher says the Posse Scholarship eased the financial burden of college, giving them the opportunity to devote their full attention to academic and research interests.
