{"id":22583,"date":"2022-08-04T12:06:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T12:06:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/?p=22583"},"modified":"2025-06-15T11:50:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-15T18:50:06","slug":"jessica-belmont-stands-out-with-extraordinary-distinction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/news\/2022\/08\/04\/jessica-belmont-stands-out-with-extraordinary-distinction","title":{"rendered":"Alumna Jessica Belmont stands out with \u2018extraordinary distinction\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alumna Jessica Belmont \u201922 was told from an early age that it wasn\u2019t okay to be herself \u2014 intersex, queer and trans. She was told this by her church, her school and even her family. \u201cGrowing up, I had adults tell me that all that stuff about wanting to be a girl was just the devil talking to me,\u201d she said. \u201cThat kind of screwed me up for a long time.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She spent most of her early adulthood in hiding, ashamed by her identities. Eventually, however, she put aside that sense of shame. \u201cI realized that those parts about me aren\u2019t ugly or meant to be hidden. 足彩app哪个是正规的y are beautiful and ought to be shared,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift inspired Belmont to enroll at the University of Washington Bothell to complete the bachelor\u2019s degree she had started decades ago and to help other members of the LGBTQIA community find similar love and acceptance. While at the University, Belmont helped to create affirming education on gender and sexuality by suggesting updates to textbooks, offering alternate learning materials and revising sexual assault prevention programming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJessica embodies so much of what the University of Washington stands for: integrity, commitment to the values of equity and justice, humble engagement with others, and a commitment to engage in rigorous, transformative research that has the potential to reduce harm and promote justice,\u201d said Dr. Lauren Lichty, associate professor in UW Bothell\u2019s School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences. \u201cIn my nearly 20-year career collaborating with undergraduate and graduate students, Jessica stands out with extraordinary distinction.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recognition of Belmont\u2019s contributions inside the classroom, on campus and in the community, she has been named one of the UW\u2019s 2022 Husky 100 recipients<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From harm to healing <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Each year, the UW recognizes 100 undergraduate and graduate students from the Bothell, Seattle and Tacoma campuses who are making the most of their time at the University. 足彩app哪个是正规的 recipients actively connect what happens inside and outside of the classroom, applying what they learn to make a difference in the lives of others. Belmont is one of 11 students from UW Bothell recognized this last academic year<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Alumna Jessica Belmont ’22 with her Husky 100 medal<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Belmont graduated in June with degrees in Gender, Women & Sexuality Studies and in American & Ethnic Studies with a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the possible professions her education opened up to her, Belmont decided to pursue a career in ministry. It may seem a surprising choice given the harm she experienced in her church community growing up, but Belmont said that\u2019s part of the reason she wants to be a church leader \u2014 to prevent harm and facilitate healing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always been invested in helping people get through their pain and grief,\u201d she said. \u201cI find it rewarding to make a positive difference in someone\u2019s life, and that\u2019s what I plan to do as a minister. Hopefully on an individual level but also a global one as I work toward radical acceptance of queer folks within the congregation and society as a whole.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advocating for change <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Recognizing that the first step to acceptance is understanding, Belmont started advocating in the classroom. Her first quarter at UW Bothell she took Introduction to Human Sexuality with Lichty and quickly noticed concerning content in the textbook. \u201cAs an adult trans woman, I knew the language in the textbook wasn\u2019t right,\u201d she said, \u201cand I also knew it would do harm to young trans people who read it and may not know the language isn\u2019t okay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoing something about it is part of my ministry. I don\u2019t want trans kids who have just come out of high school to read this and think, \u2018Wow, even my textbook thinks I\u2019m a freak,\u2019\u201d Belmont said. \u201cI am working to interrupt that harm and replace it with something that will tell them they are normal and natural.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This concern for others led to Belmont becoming a leader in the classroom and helping to make space for other minoritized students to feel seen and heard. Inspired by her openness and bravery, two other students came forward, and together they started a change-focused research project where they reviewed academic textbooks and then contacted the authors and publishers to make the case for updating some of the language. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJessica\u2019s kind leadership and reflective queer, feminist praxis was a steady gift to this research team,\u201d Lichty said. \u201cAs we examined content that was painful and undermined each of our identities, Jessica remained a steady, compassionate, fierce advocate for change.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inviting new learning <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Belmont and Lichty continued working on the project after the class ended and began collaborating with another team of LGBTQIA+ undergraduate and doctoral researchers at Yale University. In June 2021, they presented their research at the biennial conference of the Society for Community Research and Action, a division of the American Psychological Association. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

足彩app哪个是正规的 conference brings together people from around the world to engage in conversations about recent developments in community research and action. \u201cOur national conference presentation was well attended, and multiple professors reached out afterward to share how moved they were by Jessica\u2019s work specifically,\u201d Lichty said. \u201cMy colleague made a point to highlight Jessica as a standout speaker and advocate for change.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the conference, Lichty and Belmont have met with two of the textbook authors who, after hearing their feedback, committed to making their textbooks more inclusive for trans and intersex students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While in another of Lichty\u2019s courses that focused on gender-based violence on college campuses, Belmont also reviewed the sexual violence prevention program created by one of UW Bothell\u2019s community partners. \u201cJessica provided critical analysis and reframing of practices in a way that guided impactful feedback,\u201d Lichty said. \u201cHer work led to a series of important listening sessions, a shift in staffing and a subsequent acquisition of a small grant to support their work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHer insight into trans and intersex survivorship \u2014 and willingness to challenge and invite new learning \u2014 is a unique gift to our campus and community.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impacting hundreds <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since working with Belmont, Lichty has completely revamped their course content, abandoning a text they had used for eight years. \u201cShe inspired me to institute changes that will continue to build a more affirming, inclusive classroom,\u201d Lichty said. \u201cI cannot emphasize enough the significance of Jessica\u2019s impact on my professional practice, which already extends into the lives and learning of hundreds of other UW students.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking to the future, Belmont said she hopes to use her career in ministry to help people move past shame and to gain more self-confidence. \u201cPeople carry so much shame, and a lot of it isn\u2019t theirs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn important part of helping someone to heal is to let them know they can put that stuff down. I often say that you have to stop inflicting the wound on yourself before it\u2019s going to heal.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belmont also said that Husky 100 award feels like validation that she is on the right path. \u201cTo have that vote of confidence that yes, you are one of the 100 people that we want to see go out and make change in the world \u2014 that\u2019s pretty incredible,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s what I intend to do.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Alumna Jessica Belmont ’22 has used her experiences and research as an intersex, queer, trans woman to inform how gender and sexuality studies is taught through textbooks and at a local community organization — and has been recognized for her work as a 2022 Husky 100 recipient. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[209,211,197,200],"tags":[],"school":[419],"class_list":["post-22583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alumni","category-honors-and-awards","category-news-releases","category-profiles","school-school-of-ias"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":true,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"\nAlumna Jessica Belmont stands out with \u2018extraordinary distinction\u2019 - 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