Linnea Johnson arrived at UVM with a passion for social justice but lacked the knowledge and vocabulary to articulate her worldview. Four years later, as she graduates with a double major in gender, sexuality, and women’s studies (GSWS) and philosophy, she is an experienced and articulate advocate.

“I developed skills that will be super important in my career,” she says. “I just needed to learn the vocabulary—to put names to things I felt strongly about and learn about their history and origins.”

Entering UVM as an undeclared major, Johnson found her academic path after taking an introductory GSWS course with Annika Ljung-Baruth.

“I always knew deep down I was discontented with my position in society as a woman, but I didn’t have the tools or words to express that. The course gave me an understanding of the foundation of that discontent.”

During her time at UVM Johnson was especially involved in the issue of sexual assault on college campuses. She advocates for more education for sexual violence prevention, more resources for workers tasked with doing prevention work on college campuses, and greater support for victims.

“I hope I’ve helped raise awareness–it really starts with a dialogue. That’s something I try to do by asking questions at open forums, speaking at rallies, and just informal conversations.”

Johnson found many outlets to apply her knowledge and passion in ways that made a difference at UVM and in the surrounding community.

Most recently, Linnea worked as an intern for the WAGE Center with supervisor Sarah Mell, then the Center’s education and outreach coordinator. She was given the opportunity to create and present workshops on sexual harassment and gender identity to international students at UVM.

“I like the approach that Sarah takes in violence prevention workshops—instead of lecturing about do’s and don’ts she describes what healthy, positive relationships and sexual experiences look like.”

In an earlier internship at Burlington’s Howard Center, she shadowed professional behavioral interventionists and their clients, mostly children aged 6-17, creating fun group activities to help children learn appropriate peer interactions.

As an investigation intern for VTPrivateye, a Burlington firm that helps public defenders build cases for indigent clients, Johnson got an inside look at the local criminal justice system. She came face to face with clients who were often victims of violent crimes themselves. She supported the work of a criminal defense investigator by conducting interviews with clients and witnesses.

On campus, Johnson built a reputation as a skilled educator. She was a presenter for a recent conference on dismantling rape culture and was selected as a speaker for the WAGE Center’s annual banquet. She was also the recipient of a GSWS department award.

“I’d like to go into education and advocacy,” Johnson says when considering career goals. “The GSWS major and program has honed my public speaking skills. Because I’ve built up so many connections in Burlington, I’d like to stay in town and start my career here.”

Maggie Colbert became a big booster of UVM after making several visits to Burlington to visit her older sister Ali, who graduated in 2016.

“I kept talking to my friends about what a great school it was, but I never thought seriously about attending myself,” she says.

Then she discovered UVM offered several programs that interested her, including a major in gender, sexuality and women’s studies. Then came an email from the UVM admissions office informing her that the university would waive the application fee since she had an older sibling already attending. The more she learned about UVM from her research and campus visits, the more she became convinced that UVM was the right place for her.

She graduated in 2018 as the recipient of the Ellen Hamilton Lida Mason Award which honors a graduating senior for academic excellence in gender, sexuality, and women's studies. She also graduated with a B.A. degree in sociology.

Colbert was always interested in gender issues and considered herself a feminist at Bay Shore High School on Long Island where she wrote about controversial topics for her school newspaper. It took courage to write about the SlutWalk, a movement calling for an end to rape culture and victim blaming of sexual assault victims.

“It was a pretty conservative school and using the word in print was a little provocative for some people,” she said. “But I embraced the idea of trying to bring about understanding and change to things people could get behind when they really understood the issues.”

In her first year at UVM, she took a women’s studies course from Annika Ljung-Baruth.

“Everything she said really spoke to me—I was just taking it all in. At the same time, I was really shy—it took me a few years to be confident enough to speak out in class.”

Because the gender, sexuality, and women’s studies program includes faculty from many different departments, the major attracts a broad range of academic perspectives. Colbert believes this is a distinctive strength of the UVM program.

“I found the interdisciplinary nature of the classes amazing,” she said. “You can take a class from a historian interested in the history of race, or a political science professor interested in gender studies, or an English professor interested in feminist literature.”

Conversations in class about sexual assault and racial discrimination took on a particular immediacy and relevance when they dovetailed with her own campus activism. She became involved in the Black Lives Matter movement on campus. Colbert plans on working after graduation and then going on to graduate school. She thinks higher education may be part of her future.

“I see myself as an educator—I could be a professor because I really love academics and love the research process,” she said. “I have grown to respect the academy, and the professors I’ve met here are my heroes. What they do is amazing—it gets right at the intersection of activism and academics.”

Charlie Parker Gliserman of Round Lake, N.Y., engaged their passion for social justice through majors in gender, sexuality, and women's studies (GSWS) and political science at UVM. This May, they accepted the GSWS Outstanding Senior Award for a student who “embodies a combination of theory and activism, as well as for academic excellence in GSWS.” After graduation, Gliserman began work at the Center for Reproductive Rights, supporting development and legal work in the New York City office.

In high school, Gliserman began learning lessons about leadership and activism as a student, faculty, and administration senator, then as its president their senior year. They also led diversity training through A World of Difference and advocated for a comprehensive, LGBTQ+-inclusive sex education curriculum.

At UVM, they gravitated towards GSWS and political science as a perfect pairing of majors to pursue their interests in LGBTQ+ advocacy and public policy. They further cultivated this interest through working at the UVM LGBTQA Center and interning at the New York State Assembly in Albany, N.Y., Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in Colchester, Vt., and the U.S. Congress and Human Rights First in Washington, DC.

In their free time, Gliserman was also a research director and varsity member of UVM’s top-ranked Lawrence Debate Union. They attended regular international tournaments, including the 2016 and 2017 World Universities Debating Championships, and earned the Northeast Regional Championship title. Their passion for debate extended beyond competition, as an instructor with the SPEAK Prison Debate Initiative, where they taught public speaking and professional skills to students in correctional facilities and juvenile rehabilitation centers. “My involvement in the Lawrence Debate Union and SPEAK centered on learning how to advocate for myself and teach others how to do the same. I’m grateful for this program because that skill has transformed my ability to forward the causes I care about.”

After graduating with honors in December 2017, Gliserman began working as a legislative associate for the Necrason Group, one of Montpelier’s leading public affairs consulting firms, and leading field organizing for Infinite Culcleasure for Burlington Mayor. Next year, they hope to transition into federal public policy work while studying for the LSAT exams in preparation for law school.

They have learned that advocating for fundamental social change isn’t always immediately rewarded, but it hasn’t dulled their determination. “The political atmosphere has significantly shifted in the four years I’ve been at UVM,” they say, “but progress isn’t always linear. I hope that I’m in a position to help assemble the building blocks of lasting change in society that reflects more inclusiveness and fairness.”