Dimitri Ivanor
Student
“Without Future Connect, I don’t know if I would’ve pursued college…Being °µÍøTV has helped me in my own personal evolution.”
Dimitri Ivanor,
Powell’s Scholar and Future Connect Scholarship Recipient,
PCC Creative Writing Student & Future Author
I love the smell of books. My dream is to write a book so good that someone will want to steal it.
Sometimes, I’ll go into Powell’s and wander the aisles for hours. I did this a lot during my senior year of high school when I experienced homelessness.
Growing up, I was a nerdy kid who got grounded for reading too much. My parents, immigrants from Laos and Thailand who didn’t go to college, tried to push me into math and sciences. I wasn’t very good at those subjects. They also tried to push strict gender norms onto me. I identify as trans—my pronouns are he/him and it/its. It’s a struggle every day to know who you are, then have other people tell you who they think you are.
I’ve also struggled with depression and chronic pain. Writing is a way for me to cope. I can let my mind float, create my own world and be in control of what happens.
A high school teacher first pointed me toward the Future Connect program °µÍøTV. Without Future Connect, I don’t know if I would’ve pursued college. I thought I wasn’t going to get too involved °µÍøTV but then all of a sudden I was meeting a lot with Dana, my Future Connect coach, and signing up for classes and joining clubs. I love Dana. She’s always had an open door and is so patient and supportive.
Being °µÍøTV has helped me in my own personal evolution. I’ve realized that I’m in charge of the change that happens in my community. I’ve got a job as a classroom aide in Accessible Ed & Disability Resources, and I’m a student advocate at the Queer Resource Center. It’s really cool that there’s such a mix of people °µÍøTV. It makes me hopeful about the world and my place in it.