Tag Archives: ClassOf2023

Senior Spotlight: a series on our graduates

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My favorite memories in 481 mostly revolve around moments where I would almost forget I was even in a class – moments where I was simply enjoying the company around me and the discussions we were having.

– tash brown
Tash Brown ’23

Why did you major in Religion?

I originally came to UVM as Undecided and spent my freshman year trying out any class that sounded interesting, hoping to find something that piqued my curiosity. In my second semester, I decided to take REL 30: Introduction to Islam taught by the insanely smart and funny Professor Morgenstein Fuerst and got my first taste of what studying religion could be like. And I absolutely loved it. It was one of the first classes where I felt I was learning something truly meaningful and important, while also finding the content super fascinating. 

Later that semester, I decided to declare Religion as my major just for the heck of it, thinking I could always change my mind later. Turns out I found the perfect fit for me!

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

Man, who knows! With the world being on fire and all, it’s hard to even gage what next year will be like. My plan is to take things as they come and see where that path takes me! I’m hoping that in 10 years I will be happy, stable, and with the people I love. 

Imagine a first-year student has asked your advice about REL courses. What’s the one she shouldn’t dream about missing? Why?

All the religion classes are fantastic, so it’s hard to pick just one. Anything with Prof. Borchert and Prof Morgenstein Fuerst are a great bet. They’re both such amazing and brilliant people and are masters at teaching challenging subjects while maintaining a causal and comfortable environment.  

If you could write any book, what would it be?

I struggle to even finish reading a book, so I’m not sure I’ll be getting around to writing one anytime soon. If I were able to muster up the ambition, I would probably write on how the importance of religious literacy, especially when it comes to families and how religion is discussed in the household.

Any fond memories of 481 Main Street you want to share?

For a creaky, bug-ridden, drafty house, 481 Main St really did become a safe haven for me, particularly in these past two years. One of my favorite things about the religion department is how small we are, in the way that I was able to gain amazing relationships with my professors and classmates that I could have never done in one of the larger departments. Because of those bonds, this house really did become a home. My favorite memories in 481 mostly revolve around moments where I would almost forget I was even in a class – moments where I was simply enjoying the company around me and the discussions we were having. I especially enjoyed this past semester’s senior colloquium, where I basically got to hang out every week with some of my favorite people. 

What did we miss? Anything else you’d like to share?

Just that I can’t stress enough the impact this department has had on me, and how thankful I am for the people I’ve met and the lessons I’ve learned. Studying religion has been so rewarding, and I’m grateful to know more about something so significant and expansive. I honestly believe every student should take at least one religion course and get a chance to start seeing the world in a new way. It’ll blow your mind. 

Senior Spotlight: a series about our graduating seniors

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[The time spent on the couches in the back room] was such a fun thing to look forward to before class and gave me a real sense of community in the religion department.

– Rachel Zieff ’23
Rachel Zieff ’23

Why did you major in Religion?

Majoring in Religion was kind of an accident for me. My friend from high school who was a few years older and a minor in religion recommended that I take a class with Professor Morgenstein Fuerst, so I took Introducing Hinduism my first semester freshmen year and then didn’t stop taking classes in the department. I was a religion minor for a while, but when the department almost got cut my sophomore year, I decided to change to a major and I haven’t looked back since! 

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

If I’m being completely honest I can’t picture my life in 10 years. Hopefully I’ll have the means to travel a lot and have meaningful community in my life at that point. 

Imagine a first-year student has asked your advice about REL courses. What’s the one she shouldn’t dream about missing? Why?

Any classes with Professor Morgenstein Fuerst are guaranteed to be winners. Her entry-level courses are what got me hooked on religion classes. You’ll learn a ton and they’re really entertaining classes. 

If you could write any book, what would it be?

I would probably write a book on my travels, which is maybe the wrong answer given that it’s not very academic. That said, I journal extensively whenever I travel, and I would love to turn my stories into a book at some point. 

Any fond memories of 481 Main Street you want to share?

Last semester, I looked forward to the half hour before class that I would spend with Evie Wolfe and Annie Barton in the couch room. We’d just decompress and fill each other in on our lives, sometimes throwing in a little nap or cramming in a last-minute reading. It was such a fun thing to look forward to before class and gave me a real sense of community in the religion department.

Senior Spotlight: a series on our graduating seniors

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I really appreciate the interdisciplinal and intersectional nature of the study. I came to UVM hoping to start enjoying learning again, and the religion department is the reason I can say I’ve achieved that goal!

– alexa chinitz
Alexa Chinitz ’23

Why did you major in Religion?

At the beginning of the pandemic one of my friends was in the process of converting to Islam. Since there was nothing else to do at the time, we would sit and chat for hours about things like religion, politics, and identity. I enjoyed learning and talking about religion enough that I decided to take classes in school instead of relying on self education. I really appreciate the interdisciplinal and intersectional nature of the study. I came to UVM hoping to start enjoying learning again, and the religion department is the reason I can say I’ve achieved that goal!

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

I would love to be in school for a PhD (ideally studying something that relates to religion). But if nothing else, in 10 years I hope to be a little bit wiser and know more about the world than I do now.

Imagine a first-year student has asked your advice about REL courses. What’s the one she shouldn’t dream about missing? Why?

Every 200 level course I’ve taken (secularism, empire, and body) has been much more applicable in my everyday life than I initially anticpated. I also have to give a shoutout to the class that got me started in the major – mysticism, shamanism, and possession.

If you could write any book, what would it be?

I have no idea, I can’t even pick a paper topic for my final due next month.

Senior Spotlight: a series on our graduating students

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The study of Religion is so important and enlightening and I don’t think I would be who I am today or have the goals that I have without 481 Main Street and all the amazing professors and classes that it has to offer.

– annie barton
Annie Barton ’23

Why did you major in Religion?

I majored in Religion because I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the majority religion intertwines with sociopolitical life in a way that excludes members of minority religions from both political decisions and social opportunities. I wanted to learn more about how religion *actually* functions in the United States, because I could clearly see that separation of church and state is not really a real thing. 

Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years, I hope to be teaching high school English, writing public school curriculum that is less inherently protestant, and running rivers, hiking, climbing, and skiing! I’ll live in a small but practical house somewhere on the west side of the continent, have at least two big dogs (preferably Danes or mastiffs), and spend my free time being outside and reading. Hopefully no kids, a loving partner, and family close by. 

Imagine a first-year student has asked your advice about REL courses. What’s the one she shouldn’t dream about missing? Why?

Introducing Hinduism is the course that really affirmed my decision to be a REL major. Come for the interesting and seemingly-foreign subject matter, stay for the ways in which the class opens up your mind to racism and sexism within the academy that affects you blatantly as a student and really makes you think about everything wrong with the world and what you can do to change it. It’s also a great class because it exhibits how the REL major is a combination of pretty much every humanities discipline- linguistics, history, political and human geography, English and literature, and of course, political science! 

If you could write any book, what would it be?

This is a tough one, but these days I would love to write a memoir about my experience growing up in, what I believe to be, the end-stages of an authoritarian capitalist government, and how it has affected my mindset about everything from linear vs. circular growth to the ethics of reproduction to climate change to spending money on a little treat. I think that my generation is located in a very unique point in history, and some sort of written map of our experiences and how we have been conditioned to handle our lives might one day prove to be a very historical document. Also a collection of short horror stories…but that’s not as relevant to the degree haha. 

Any fond memories of 481 Main Street you want to share?

Too many to count, but basically just whenever those fighter jets would fly over the classroom and the entire thing would shake and everyone would just sit there in silence for, like, one minute, waiting for the ruckus to subside, and then discussion would resume as if nothing had happened. 

Also, it took practice and a few choice incidents, but I am proud that I learned how to advocate for myself and my ideas as a woman in academia in 481 Main.  

What did we miss asking? What else do you want to share?

Just that my degree in REL has literally changed my life and the way I think about the world. The fact that UVM doesn’t consider the REL degree or department to be worth spending money on just supports everything the degree teaches you about academia being controlled primarily by rich white men who only care about education that fits into a snug little box of protestant, capitalist, and patriarchal ideas with no room for BIPOC, female, or non-heteronormative scholars or curriculum that might challenge the norms we have upheld since slave owners were in charge… 

The study of Religion is so important and enlightening and I don’t think I would be who I am today or have the goals that I have without 481 Main Street and all the amazing professors and classes that it has to offer. I cannot emphasize the importance and impact of this department on my life enough!!