Pride month is almost here. June 1 marks the start of a month-long celebration of LGBTQ+ individuals. Pride month started in 1969 with the riots at the Stonewall Inn in New York. The inn was a gay bar and hotspot for LGBTQ+ people. Individuals rioted following police raids at the inn; these riots are widely regarded as the beginning of the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

Patrick King is the Diversity and Community Program Manager. He joined University Prep in 2020 and has yet to experience an in-person Pride month at UPrep.

“Last year was a lot more online,” King said. “We did a couple events, but the turnout was disappointing. We felt very limited with what we could do.” 

In the past, UPrep has held bake offs, socials, and other events, but they plan to do something completely different this year.

“One thing we’re very excited about is a rock climber named Lor Sabourin who is non-binary will be coming. They are an awesome rock climber and will be helping out with some of the outdoor intensives. We’d love to do an off-campus rock climbing adventure with them,” King said.  

King has only been at UPrep for two years, but it’s been enough time for him to have takeaways from Pride Month.

“I like talking to students about what they want,” King said. “I like making it a learning opportunity for myself to grow and change.”