Finding Your Path & Changing the World: A Conversation with U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-VT)
Years before Becca Balint (D-VT) was elected to the House of Representatives, she was studying history at UMass Amherst. How did she get from Herter Hall to the Capitol?
UMass students have the chance to hear from Rep. Balint in a Zoom discussion moderated by Dr. Alice Nash, who advised her 2001 MA thesis in history. Rep. Balint will address the career journey that led her to the Capitol and how her education has shaped her life and her work in Congress. Students will have the chance to ask questions about her career path, her work as a U.S. Representative, and how to find their own ways to change the world.
Register here and submit questions in advance for Rep. Balint: https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcldO6qpjguE9AjiKIfJnOBLtvgKg4GESfS
Rep. Becca Balint is a mom, teacher, and progressive leader who comes to Washington ready to fight for working families. Becca is the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to represent her home state of Vermont. As the daughter of a working-class mother and immigrant father, Becca is deeply committed to defending American democracy and protecting vulnerable communities.
A deep sense of justice, empathy and service has guided Becca’s career from the beginning - first as an educator who taught middle school in Windham County for fourteen years, then as an activist and State Senator and ultimately as the President Pro Tempore in 2021.
While Majority Leader of the Vermont State Senate, Becca led the passage of the first gun safety laws in the state’s history, aimed at keeping Vermont children, communities, and survivors of abuse safe. Becca also worked tirelessly in the state senate to secure the largest housing investment in Vermont in decades to rebuild housing stock and expand middle income housing.
Questions? Email Dr. Jessica Keene, Undergraduate Career Advisor, at jkeene@umass.edu.