Tara Sun Vanacore (Bridport)
2002 Scholarship Recipient
Middlebury Union High School, Middlebury

Tara is a very strong ally for glbtq issues. In the 9th grade, she was a founding member of Middlebury Union H.S.'s first GSA. She has helped the GSA grow from a group of five to a recognized club, this year hosting the statewide GSA conference as well as observing the national Day of Silence. She has written letters to the editor and believes she was "the first to challenge a fellow student who treated a peer unjustly because of their sexual orientation. This matter was eventually brought to the attention of the school administration and the situation was rectified." On a personal level, as the daughter of a divorced Italian American father and a Chinese American mother, Tara has had interesting family challenges in recognizing the conservatism of her father and the homophobia of her grandparents. Yet she successfully worked to have a strong impact within her family. As Tara stated:

"Soon after the Civil Union bill was passed, I received a phone call from my grandfather in California. He was raised a Catholic and his views do not support homosexuality. He told me that he had been asked to vote on whether California should follow Vermont's example. His pencil was poised to check "no," but then he said he thought of me. He thought of the letter that I had written him explaining my views, my conviction that all people deserve equal treatment regardless of sexual orientation. And at the age of 76, he made a decision that went against his upbringing. He checked "yes" and walked out of the room with a smile. He told me that maybe it was time to reevaluate some of his ethics."

Tara will be attending Middlebury College this fall where she will study Human Relations and English.