Every year with the Secular Student Alliance, the FREEFLO funds the $2,000 scholarships. The scholarships are available to students enrolled in high school or college in Florida and are designed to support students who in addition to pursuing excellence in their academic studies are also activists for secular values on their campus and/or in their community. FREEFLO provides the funds for these scholarships.

2023 FHA Scholarship Recipients

Cameron | University of Florida

With a keen interest in politics, Cameron has actively worked as a progressive activist in Florida, gaining experience with various organizations. Notably, they founded a youth-led non-profit and are pursuing a business administration degree at the University of Florida to enhance his leadership skills further.

His upbringing in a religiously conservative environment, marked by intolerance and hateful rhetoric, fueled Cameron's skepticism and led them on a path toward secularism. He actively challenged religious influences on societal progress, particularly in areas like personal liberties, scientific research, and social unity.

Cameron's identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community played a significant role in his embrace of secularism. He recognized the harm caused by religious dogma, which led to self-concealment and self-hatred. Embracing secularism allowed him to shed these burdens and find empowerment.

As an LGBTQ+ activist in Florida, where he observed a rise in homophobia and right-wing evangelical influences, Cameron co-founded Recall FCSB, a political advocacy group, to oppose this trend. He organized protests, addressed book-banning controversies, and mobilized hundreds of students during the "Don't Say Gay Bill" protests, gaining international media attention. Cameron also played a key role in electing progressive school board members to defend LGBTQ+ students' rights.

Cameron's activism expanded to various intersectional issues, including climate change, civil rights, voting rights, and education. He coordinated voter registration efforts on college campuses, facilitated student-led dialogues on pressing issues, and collaborated with organizations like the Sunrise Movement to train young activists in demanding climate action.

Through his non-profit, the Youth Action Fund, Cameron aims to nurture and bolster the youth movement in Florida. His organization provides financial support, guidance, and resources to young organizers and campaigns, empowering them to tackle community challenges. Cameron's unwavering commitment to secularism and progressive values is not only evident in his own advocacy but also in his dedication to empowering the next generation of leaders to address systemic issues boldly.

Justin | University of Florida

As a fourth-year Computer Science major at the University of Florida with aspirations for a PhD in Theoretical Physics, Justin seeks to amplify the voices of non-religious individuals, especially young people in less progressive environments.

Raised as a non-denominational Christian, Justin's transition to atheism six years ago prompted deep self-reflection. He recognized the prejudice and bigotry that once stemmed from his religious beliefs and made a conscious choice to commit to humanism and secularism. This change allowed him to embrace acceptance for all individuals and to stand against the barriers that prevent people from expressing their true selves.  Despite his privilege as a white, middle-class, heterosexual male, Justin feels a strong sense of responsibility as a secular ally to those fighting for equality. He believes in advocating for others, particularly those facing systemic challenges.

In his personal relationships, Justin strives to spread secular ideals and challenge religiously influenced viewpoints, especially when they infringe on the lives of others. He engages in conversations with family and friends who hold religious beliefs, emphasizing the importance of personal beliefs not dictating public policies.

Beyond personal relationships, Justin actively participates in campus activism. He engages in Street Epistemology to encourage critical thinking and discussions about belief systems. He supports the Pro-Choice movement and Women's Rights movements, recognizing the need to separate biological facts from theological ideas and advocating for women's rights in the face of conservative Christian opposition.

As President of the UF chapter, Justin has plans to organize events that foster inclusivity and collaboration with other campus groups, such as LGBTQIA+ clubs and the Black Student Union. Additionally, he aims to host events specifically centered around secularism. Justin acknowledges the legislative challenges posed by religious influences in Florida and is committed to raising awareness about the importance of the separation of church and state through SSA UF's initiatives.

Erica | University of South Florida

As a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in urban and regional planning at the University of South Florida, Erica is deeply committed to becoming a planner for the city of Tampa with a specific focus on affordable housing, coastal resiliency, public policy, and community development to uplift marginalized residents.

Her background in a religious family and undergraduate studies in the "Bible Belt" fostered a curiosity about different belief systems, leading her to pursue a bachelor's degree in religious studies. This exploration did not shake her personal beliefs, but it laid the foundation for her gradual transition to secularism, which began around 2015. Volunteering at a drop-in center for homeless youth, which served a predominantly LGBTQIA+ population, opened her eyes to the pain and rejection faced by these individuals due to their identities, sparking her initial questioning of religious teachings. In 2020, witnessing racism within her white Christian community during the Black Lives Matter protests further fueled her journey away from religion. By 2021, she embraced agnosticism, which allowed her to cultivate empathy, self-acceptance, and a commitment to challenging discriminatory beliefs, particularly regarding gender equality.

Erica's activism extends beyond personal growth. She volunteers at a community garden, caring for plants and supporting their growth. Her internship with Plan Hillsborough involves secular activism, advocating for affordable housing, addressing climate change, promoting sustainable growth, and prioritizing marginalized communities. Her work on the Flip Jr. project demonstrates her dedication to educating minority students about planning and transportation safety, empowering them to become advocates in their communities.

In the upcoming academic year, Erica aims to deepen her understanding of how policies and community development can enhance the lives of all citizens, regardless of their backgrounds. She plans to attend planning conferences focused on matters of race, diversity, and equity, further exemplifying her commitment to creating a more inclusive and just society through education and activism.

2022 FHA Scholarship Recipients

 Kaysyn | Florida State University

A freshman student pursuing commercial entrepreneurship at Florida State University, Kaysyn intends to go to the Howard University School of Law to pursue nonprofit work in the public sector. Attending evangelical churches in Northeastern Pennsylvania at a young age. Kaysyn says, “I found a distinct sense of dissonance in the actions described by the Christian God from narrative to narrative. I came to find value in a secular point of view because it allowed me to focus on what was truly important: public service and activism.”
 
As a Black lesbian individual, Kaysyn realized religion was often used as a tool of colonization and control, designed to strip away culture and voices, especially in the lives of Black women. She participated in rallies to remove prayer from schools, change the names of schools names for Confederate generals, and support abortion rights. Kaysyn was an executive director of the Black Art student organization and student contributor and intern at the African American History Summer Writing Institute.
 
Besides supporting protests and movements centering on the freedom to live secularly, such as those supporting abortion rights and cutting prayer from schools, she also advocated within the Black Art organization at her school to change the pre-performance prayer circle to a mindfulness circle so as to not isolate or ostracize non-Christian students. 

Jamie | University of South Florida

Jamie is a psychology major at the University of South Florida. As a psychologist, she hopes to promote access to quality mental health care and fight against pseudoscience. Her family was Catholic, but never really went to church. The hypocrisy of the church led Jamie to be agnostic. As a Black first-generation immigrant, Jamie knows how many Caribbean-Black people were forced into Christianity.

Jamie is a former Vice President of the American Medical Student Association and advocates for mental health care and awareness of medical racism. Mental health care is often seen as a sign of weakness in nonwhite communities. Jamie plans to start a Secular Student Alliance chapter to create a space where like-minded students can be themselves without feeling shame or judgment.  

2021 FHA Scholarship Recipients

Gharlah | Atlantic Technical Center

A nursing student at Atlantic Technical Center, Gharlah, who aspires to be an immigration lawyer, grew up in a strict, Pentecostal Haitian household, where “if you didn’t love God, you were worshipping the devil.” The hypocrisy of people in the church led Gharlah to start to doubt the church. In a tenth-grade history class about how religion was created, she realized fear was the only thing holding her to religion. 

Because of her previous experience in the church, Gharlah realized as a woman she would be a second-class citizen, and that as a poor African American, in Islam or Christianity, religion was behind the justification of slavery. She said, “The more I pushed from religion, the happier I became and the more I grew.”

After earning her nursing degree, Gharlah will start advocating for evidence-based sex education for high school and LGBT+ students in Florida. Her other passion is immigration because of how the current system devalues humanity and life on a hierarchical level.

Landrick | Keiser University

Currently a certified EMT and a volunteer with the local fire department, Landrick is earning his bachelor's degree in homeland security at Keiser University.  His career goal is to become an FBI Surveillance Agent or Swat Medic. He is also a comedian. 

Growing up in a Christian household, his religious beliefs faded from an inquiring mind and research led to his own reasoning. Being a black male atheist, Landrick can feel isolated because of the small number of people like him who are nonreligious. 

Landrick has seen how religion has been used to hurt the black community. On stage as a comic, he uses comedy to make good-hearted but informative jokes about growing up religious, hopefully prompting others in the black community to question their own beliefs.

2020 FHA Scholarship Recipients

2019 FHA Scholarship Recipients