Kevin Graves is a second-year Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) master’s student at the University of Southern California, where he is a Topping, AHEC, and Dean's Scholar and holds Kappa Delta Pi and Psi Chi honors. He works as an MFT trainee at Pelican Cove Counseling Centers, providing long-term psychotherapy to low-and-no-income individuals, couples, and families in East Los Angeles.

Kevin grew up in the Midwest and South during the initial AIDS crisis. As he struggled to come to terms with being gay, non-binary, and low-income, he stopped attending classes and failed out of college. He moved to New York to explore his queer identities and work as a DJ, music producer, and label manager. He created official remixes for Adele and Sia, DJ’ed Madonna’s tour afterparty, co-founded NYC's Dance Music Invasion festival, and was a resident DJ on Fire Island.

Yet these accolades rang hollow; too many queer youth of color are left behind. They face structural stigma and entrenched barriers to mental healthcare access. Determined to help improve these outcomes, Kevin returned to college to become a therapist and advocate. He studied at LaGuardia Community College and matriculated to Columbia University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology. He co-founded Columbia's Recovery Coalition, was Secretary of GS Alliance, served on the JED Substance Use and Science Core committees, and was a delegate to the Ivy Leadership, 1vyG, and Ivy Mental Health conferences. He also supported TGE youth and their families as a Gender and Family Project intern, worked as a peer advisor and Spanish tutor, and served as an HIV peer advocate.

Kevin is a Peter Awn Scholar and a Truman and Fulbright finalist. He enjoys DJing, iced coffee, hikes with his roomie and her pup, advocating for equity, and being a guncle.

Los Angeles, CA - University of Southern California - One-Year Full-Time 202o HIV League Scholar ($3,500)