Amelia Leon

Amelia Leon struggled with her identity and sexuality her entire life. Eventually, the questioning became deafening. Decades of repression led to depression. After going to FIU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, Amelia was referred to the LGBTQA Initiatives Office. Suddenly, everything clicked. She knew she couldn’t hide who she was anymore. Amelia came out as bisexual.

Not wanting other students to go through what she did, Amelia became an activist for the LGBTQA community. She founded Simple Pleasures, a sex education club focused on having conversations about sexuality and gender. She also led an initiative to open FIU’s first Pride Center and raised over $1,000 for the Queering Sexual Assault Program through a special benefit concert.

Always wanting to be a lifelong learner, Amelia fell in love with research. A McNair scholar, Amelia worked in FIU’s Memory and Development Lab helping conduct neuroscience research. She’s also held internships at Harvard and the Scripps Research Institute, studying Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Through the Honors College, Amelia took on leadership roles in the Honors Education in the Arts (HEARTS) Connecting Cultures Club and Art Club. As an intern at the Office of Sustainability, Amelia also created a plan for an arboretum at FIU.

Amelia was recently nominated for the prestigious Rhodes and Marshall Scholarships. After graduation, Amelia dreams of pursuing a career in infection and immunology research to find cures to diseases that plague the LGBTQA community.

By Angela Nicoletti
Account Manager
College of Arts, Sciences & Education