WESTFIELD and PASSAIC, NEW JERSEY – December 16, 2025

More Than Bootstraps (MTB), a New Jersey non-profit is thrilled to announce that one of our students, Alexa (Ale) Perez-Cuahtepitzi, has been awarded a 2025 Point Foundation Access Scholarship. Ale was selected as an Access Scholar based on academic commitment, community engagement and impact, financial need, and demonstrated potential for leadership in the LGBTQ+ and ally community. This award carries both financial support and access to leadership and professional development.

Ale, a 2025 graduate of Passaic Academy for Science and Engineering (PASE), is a first-year student at Montclair State University, where they are studying animation and visual effects as well as computer science.

Ale served as part of Garden State Equality's "Changemakers" program, a summer camp that is dedicated to empowering LGBTQ+ youth across NJ by fostering leadership and activism skills. Following these experiences, they served as a member of the Youth Advisory Board and helped establish the "Flow State Art Gallery" for NJ queer youth. They returned to Changemakers as a Councilor in Trainer, where they worked with staff to maintain a positive environment for campers and created a workshop for campers that focused on immigration justice.

Ale was a member of the 2025 class of MTB High School Fellows. They now serve as a College Student Leader, mentoring younger high school peers through the college search, application, and confidence-building process.

Of the Access Scholarship, Ale commented: “As I continue my journey in social change and activism, being selected as a Point Access Scholar is an opportunity that I know will help me not just in my education but to uplift my community as well. I am glad to see LGBTQ+ organizations such as Point Foundation strive to make education accessible to all, despite one's background. Activism is all about looking out for one another, which I strongly value as a part of this award. This achievement empowers me to continue giving back to the communities I am forever grateful for, such as MTB and Garden State Equality. I hope that this award motivates the next generation of changemakers and first-generation leaders as we tackle new challenges head-on every day and uplift one another.”

More Than Bootstraps congratulates Ale for this well-deserved recognition of her commitment, engagement, and leadership.

“We are thrilled that Ale’s leadership skills, academic talents, and drive to empower others have been recognized and celebrated by the Point Foundation. We know Ale will not only make great use of the resources that this award provides but will pass along that knowledge to others within our More Than Bootstraps community,” said Audrey Fisch, president of More Than Bootstraps.



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Grants and donations to More Than Bootstraps fund the monthly stipends that allow the high school and college students in the program some time and space to devote to their professional development and college-going activities while still meeting their financial responsibilities. Interested donors are invited to visit the MTB website: www.morethanbootstraps.org/donate.

More Than Bootstraps is a nonprofit created by educators seeking to level the playing field and remove some of the substantial barriers that first-generation college students encounter in accessing and succeeding in higher education. More Than Bootstraps employs a near-peer mentoring model to create a community of success. College students from the community return to guide their younger peers in the community through the college search, application, and assimilation process. These leaders, working as a mentoring cohort, in turn strengthen their own college-going identities and improve their own chances of success in higher education.

Students are selected based on their desire to attend college and their commitment to the program rather than grade point average or test scores. All students in the MTB program receive stipends, laptop computers, and access to emergency resources to help them with the many non-tuition expenses of higher education. 

About the POINT FOUNDATION

For more than 20 years, Point Foundation has been empowering promising LGBTQ students to achieve their full academic and leadership potential – despite the obstacles often put before them – so they can make a significant impact on society. Point is the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ students, providing vital scholarship funding, mentorship, and leadership development to the next generation of LGBTQ leaders.

The Point Foundation Access Scholarship aims to mitigate obstacles for LGBTQ+ and ally students who are, or will, be the first in their family to earn a bachelor’s degree and/or come from low-income backgrounds by providing them with financial support and access to leadership and professional development.

More Than Bootstraps is a 501(c)3 organization, Tax ID 83-2245008.

Media Contact:

Audrey Fisch, Ph.D.

President, More Than Bootstraps

(908) 397-0893

audrey@morethanbootstraps.org