Shae, 22, moved to Chicago from Portland, Ore., last year. Since coming out at 19, Shae has made LGBTQ activism a priority on both academic and professional levels.
Growing up in suburbia, attending college in rural America and living in Chicago, Shae has experienced varying perspectives and experiences surrounding homophobia and acceptance. Her undergraduate thesis focused on the atmosphere surrounding LGBTQ youth in Walla Walla, Wash., and inspired several front-page stories and community conversations concerning her involvement in pioneering the small town’s first LGBTQ youth program. While studying abroad in Botswana—a country where same-sex conduct is illegal—Shae worked closely with LeGaBiBo, the nation’s only LGBTQ organization. Shae currently works for the Center on Halsted Youth Program as a career employment specialist.
Did you know? Shae is sensitive to caffeine, interested in women’s studies and humbled by this award.