Though they are currently pursuing a career in fashion and media, Onyx began their career as an activist. During their freshman year of high school, they revived their school’s dormant Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club, and two years later, they founded the Central Texas GSA Coalition, an organization that brings together students, educators, community members, and nonprofit organizations to support the life-changing and life-saving work of GSAs. With the support of the Texas GSA Network, the GSA Coalition model has expanded to three regional chapters throughout the state.Onyx’s experience as a student and marginalized activist in educational spaces made it starkly clear that mainstream education is not addressing the topics that are most important to LGBTQ+, Black, Brown, POC, disabled, and otherwise marginalized young people. As a result, Onyx organized an SXSW panel and subsequent digital project entitled Q+ EDU. Over the course of summer 2020, they hosted 40 live sessions with speakers who discussed everything from navigating job searches as a queer person, to histories of queer involvement in prison abolition, to the impact of art on children’s gender identity development, and more. Q+ EDU will return this August with a new slate of topics.Since age nine, Onyx has been designing and sewing many of their own clothes, and their interest in fashion has never ceased. They view fashion as a means of building confidence, facilitating self-expression, and embodying beauty. Onyx plans to use their background in activism to advocate for racial and gender diversity, size inclusivity, overall accessibility, and environmental consciousness in the fashion industry and in the world at large.Onyx is a rising sophomore at Harvard University. They are also a GLAAD 20 Under 20 Honoree, a Point Foundation Scholar, and a GLSEN Student Advocate of the Year Award Recipient.
