Myah MedranoSilver City, NM, November 6, 2025–The board of directors of PFLAG Silver City is pleased to announce this year's recipients of the Nancy Kailing Memorial Scholarship. All are students at Western New Mexico University. The scholarship is open to LGBTQ+ students and their allies. Nancy Kailing, a fierce advocate for LGBTQ+ people, was the founder and former president of PFLAG Fairbanks, Alaska. She was also one of the founders of PFLAG Silver City and served as president for many years.
Mayah Medrano is a graduate student from Carlsbad, NM. She is completing her Master of Arts in Teaching with a focus on History and Social Studies. She writes, "I strive to help students think critically about history, identity, and equality. My field allows me to highlight how diverse voices have shaped our nation and to encourage understanding across differences."
Bella DrissellBella Drissell, majoring in Expressive Arts, is a resident of Silver City. This is her senior year at WNMU. She writes, "Despite the dark times we live in today, I cannot help but look to the future and imagine better things. I am so grateful for the efforts of organizations and people like PFLAG, who are actively making this world a more welcoming, safe place for people like me and my community."
Gretchen Zobel-Lopez is originally from Tucson, but she now lives in rural Grant County near the Gila River. She is a graduate student working on a Masters in Social Work. She writes, "I just finished an amazing 9-month internship at a local middle/high school in School Social Work. I will begin my advanced placement internship in the Fall with a local health care agency in Clinical Social Work. I hope to stay on with them after graduation providing adolescent and adult behavioral health therapy."
Gretchen Zobel-Lopez
PFLAG is the nation's largest organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for LGBTQ+ people and those who love them. For more information call 575-590-8797 or go to www.pflagsilver.org or www.pflag.org.
