Being a (closeted?) gay boy at a rural high school is absolutely a legitimate topic if it shows unique qualities about you, in your adaptability, strength, resilience, creativity, etc. As well as depicting your environment with light touches.
Run the npc on Penn State and Pitt: they’re incredibly expensive (the state only provides something like 5% of the budget. In your parents’ days, tuition was slightly above $6,000 a year… its now something like $17,000!)
You need to apply to more match universities, especially since you can’t count on Schreyer and Pitt Honors.