Alexandra Dogwood (she/her) of Mississippi was selected for a Founders’ grant for gender affirming surgery with Dr. Christine McGinn. When asked how this grant will change her life, Alexandra said, “This gender affirming surgery will provide me with a sense of security that I currently lack. I will be able to fully love myself and participate more fully in life. I grew up in a family that denied my gender identity and pressured me to undergo ‘conversion therapy’ to ‘cure’ me of being transgender. I was bullied in grade school, forced to drop out of college because of financial hardship, and faced discrimination repeatedly when trying to rent an apartment, apply for jobs, and obtain a driver’s license with a gender marker that matches my identity. Living without bottom surgery, I have been held back in so many ways, but with this grant from The Jim Collins Foundation, I will no longer have to live with the anxiety that prevented me from fully engaging in travel, exercise, and other activities with my loved ones.”