Julia Char Gilbert ~ WITNESS Human Rights Nonprofit & Vermont Migrant Education Program Class Facilitator

I did two CBLs while at student at Montpelier High School: I interned with WITNESS, an international human rights nonprofit, and I facilitated weekly English classes at a local dairy farm as part of the Vermont Migrant Education Program. These experiences were a highlight of my high school career, and now, over a decade later, I can see how formative they were for me.

The CBL and Flexible Pathways program helped cultivate my desire to address inequities both close to home and further afield. It gave me a taste of what it feels like to work on social justice issues from an office desk versus out in the community. It inspired me to continue improving my Spanish, so I could better connect with my neighbors and Spanish-speakers abroad. It also helped me build confidence in myself and in my ability to do good in the world.

In the years since, I’ve worked for a migrant justice organization in New York, taught English at a vocational school in Spain, championed anti-poverty policy reforms in Colorado, and lived in Latin America and New Zealand.

I’m proud to be a product of the Montpelier Roxbury Public School system and the CBL/Flexible Pathways program. And I’m grateful to my teachers, mentors, and friends in Montpelier for all they did to shape and support the person I was becoming.