For Rice University junior D. Fitzgerald, what began as a personal journey of self-discovery has quickly grown into a powerful platform for advocacy — one now recognized across the city of Houston. Just one year after attending her first Pride Parade, Fitzgerald has been named a 2026 Houston Pride Parade Trendsetter Grand Marshal, an honor she says still feels surreal.
“I was extremely excited … but I’m also still in shock that it’s happening,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald didn’t even know she had been nominated.
While attending the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Community Summit, she began receiving congratulations from past parade marshals before any official confirmation arrived.
“I was like, ‘Grand Marshal for what?’” she said.
She later learned the recognition came from established leaders in Houston’s LGBTQ+ community who had seen her growing impact both on and off campus.
Building community
At Rice, Fitzgerald has become a central figure in LGBTQ+ student life. She serves as external president of Rice PRIDE, where she helped reshape the organization’s leadership structure to be more inclusive and representative.
She led efforts to rewrite the group’s constitution, creating distinct leadership roles that allow students to engage at different comfort levels ranging from public-facing advocacy to behind-the-scenes support.
“I wanted people to have roles that matched how they wanted to show up,” she said.
Beyond organizational leadership, Fitzgerald co-founded the LAV Team, a student initiative designed to bring LGBTQ+ support directly into Rice’s residential college system, filling a gap she noticed early on.
Her work also extends to maintaining and strengthening the Queer Resource Center, a space she has helped transform into a welcoming, functional hub for students.
To fund her goals, Fitzgerald mastered the art of grant writing, which successfully resulted in earning financial support for LGBTQ+ students at Rice and in the Houston area.
From small town to self-discovery
Fitzgerald’s advocacy is deeply rooted in her personal journey. She grew up in Columbus, Texas, a small town where she says she didn’t feel able to fully express her identity.
“I wasn’t really able to embrace who I was,” she said.
Coming to Houston — and Rice — changed that.
“I wanted to be in a place where I could be truly who I am and be proud of it,” she said.
Since then, she has embraced her identity as a queer, transgender student and channeled that growth into advocacy, mentorship and community-building.
The power of representation
For Fitzgerald, visibility isn’t just symbolic. It’s transformative.
“Representation is absolutely important,” she said, pointing to the progress made over decades, from a time when LGBTQ+ students hid their identities to today’s more open campus environments.
She believes that being visible in classrooms, organizations and public events, like the Pride Parade, fosters understanding and acceptance.
As she prepares for the parade, Fitzgerald said she is focused not just on celebration but on impact. She encourages other LGBTQ+ students to get involved in advocacy, emphasizing strategy, sustainability and community.
Her advice: “Find your people … and know your limits.”
Amid the work, Fitzgerald finds joy in something simple: watching others feel free to be themselves.
“Seeing people experience joy and just be authentically who they are, that brings me so much joy,” she said.
It’s that vision of spaces where people can exist openly and safely that continues to drive her work. Now, as a grand marshal, she will help lead that vision through the streets of Houston.
Up next
The 48th annual Pride Houston celebration starts at 11 a.m. June 6 at 901 Bagby. Later in the evening, the Pride Parade will weave through downtown Houston. Rice will host a series of events throughout Pride Month as well as organize a walking group in the parade. To sign up for the parade or learn more about how to participate in Pride Month on campus, visit rice.edu/pride.