Derron Rafiq Coles was surrounded by people who love and appreciate him Thursday night. It was only fitting. Coles, a tireless advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students at Oregon State University, has focused on helping LGBT students of color feel safe, supported and listened to. For these efforts, the OSU Office of LGBT Outreach & Services honored him with the Marilyn Gorski Award for Academic Excellence. This award is bestowed each year at OSU's Lavender Graduation for LGBT students to a graduate who has demonstrated excellence in both academics and leadership.

"He has touched the lives of literally thousands of people on this campus," said LGBT Outreach & Services coordinator Steven Leider.

Personal experience inspires Coles. He knows what it is like to feel alone in a crowd.

Graduating today with a doctorate in civil engineering with a focus on water-resources engineering, Coles has found himself to be the only black person in almost all of the classes in his major.

Coles feels he has received a lot of support at OSU for his sexual orientation.

"It's really more about race than sexual orientation on campus," he said.

Hailing from Baltimore, which is about 65 percent black, Coles did not often think about racial issues as he was growing up.

"In Baltimore I was more concerned about my sexual orientation and not my race," he said. "The only time I was really aware of my race was when I was in a group of professional engineers."

Though he is reminded of the struggles minorities face more often in Corvallis, he has not experienced "anything overt" on campus, he said.

Still, many people on campus can be naïve about race relations, possibly due in some cases to a lack of experience on the part of many Oregonians. (The U.S. Census Bureau says that Oregon is over 90 percent white.)

They might make sweeping generalizations or rely on stereotypes for their impressions of minorities, Coles explained.

"I think everyone does that," said Coles. Though some people show no interest in moving beyond the stereotypes, many can be classified as ignorant but willing, he said.

"Racism comes from ignorance," Coles said. "If someone is willing to learn, even if they are naïve at the time, they won't be for long. It's people's intent that matters the most here."

LGBT people of color have different challenges to face, Coles said.

"For people of color, often their family life is so central and sometimes very religious, and oftentimes gender roles are very rigid," he said. "When you couple that with institutionalized racism in general, and general discomfort, it can be really difficult for them."

These challenges at home can be compounded when surrounded by people who do not share your traditions, rituals or faith, Coles said.

"It's almost like being those little pieces of fruit floating in the Jell-O mold," he said.

To help alleviate this feeling, he founded Sol, a LGBT people of color support network that focuses on education. If the university is celebrating Black History Month or holding a musical event, Sol will host a separate event celebrating the influence of LGBT people of color. Sol also hosts seminars and informational workshops.

Another organization, Circle of Color, began as an offshoot of Sol and is more of a social group.

"Students can talk about their issues, talk about what's going on on campus and what's going on with their families," Coles said.

A central issue for LGBT students is "coming out."

College is often the time when many young people begin to explore their sexuality, and this holds true for LGBT students.

When a young person realizes he or she do not fit into what societal norms, that person can experience a variety of often unpleasant emotions and challenges.

"It can be like they're swimming upstream," said Leider. "It can be a really traumatic experience. It can be an eye-opening experience."

Many students are afraid to come out, said Coles, concerned that their newly discovered sexual identity will not be accepted by peers, family or community.

"Oftentimes you don't feel you are going to be OK," he said.

The number of openly gay minority students at OSU is "very small," Coles said. "I know less than two dozen."

Yet even if a LGBT student of color is keeping this secret, Coles thinks that Sol and Circle of Hope can still have a beneficial influence by letting people know they're not alone.

Coles came to Oregon in 2000, after earning his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland.

Though he had thought about becoming an artist, Coles decided to become an engineer during a class project in middle school.

"We had to decide what we wanted to be when we grew up," Coles said. Though most of his friends had lofty aspirations of careers with NASA or the NBA, "I was just thinking I wanted to get out of Baltimore."

He went to the library and researched the possibilities.

"It would have to be something to do with science and nature, and something where I would get paid so I wouldn't have to be in Baltimore."

He decided on mechanical engineering, because many of the kinds of projects he could work on in that field would be outside and the job included a lot of drawing.

"When I thought about artists, the really famous ones always seemed to be struggling to me," he said. "I wanted a sure thing, an I'm-going-to-get-out-of-here job."

At OSU he switched to civil engineering, earning his masters in 2002.

Now that he has the requisite "doctor" in front of his name, he is eager to teach.

He has some experience with this as he has already been teaching math - algebra through calculus - at OSU.

Though Coles might find the deepest satisfaction helping LGBT students and students of color find their way to a rewarding college and life experience, he also likes to see those who have not had to deal with the struggles and challenges of minorities have what he calls "a-ha moments."

He tells the story of his white roommate at the University of Maryland who "finally got it."

The young man was trying to get elected to a post on the student government and as part of his campaign he went to a black student union meeting and found himself to be the only white person in a crowded room.

"He said 'Derron, I've never felt so alone and aware that I was so white,' and I was like: 'Yes! Now you know how I feel.'"