Emily Vrotsos is a self-proclaimed feminist and an astounding leader. Upon walking into her office, the first thing to be noticed is the proud writing of “This is what a feminist looks like” across one of the walls, right next to some decorated bras on display. Emily is the current Program Coordinator for the Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) at UCF. YWLP is a mentoring program that encourages leadership skills in 7th grade girls. “Big Sisters” are paired with “Little Sisters” and they meet every other week at one of three middle schools in Seminole County. The facilitators and Big Sisters do a series of lessons with the girls each meeting to stimulate and enhance their leadership skills.
In addition to being Program Coordinator for YWLP, Emily is also a supporter of many other women’s and social justice organizations and causes. Read on to learn more about Emily’s responsibilities and accomplishments in YWLP, what she likes to do in her spare time, and what other awesome plans she has in the works!
Q: When did you first get involved in YWLP and how?
A: I first became involved with YWLP when I was junior at UCF. I was introduced to the organization a semester earlier by the Program Coordinator at the time who was a fellow classmate in my Global and Transnational Feminism class.
Q: Tell us about your experience as a Big Sister and how you transitioned through the program.
A: I was a Big Sister in YWLP for two semesters before I moved on to become a Facilitator for two more semesters, before I was hired as Program Coordinator this August. I learned so much from my Little Sisters, both of whom were incredibly different but brought so much brilliance and perspective to the table. I decided to apply for a Facilitator position because I wanted to have the opportunity to lead a group and to have a bigger hand in the positive experiences our girls had.
Q: What are your responsibilities as Program Coordinator of YWLP?
A: I maintain relationships with personnel in the Seminole County school board as well as principals, guidance counselors, and teachers in the Seminole County middle schools where we mentor. I organize fundraisers and volunteers every semester; YWLP is a non-profit organization that receives zero funding from the university or by any other means. I coordinate up to 50 Big Sister volunteers who actually go into the local middle schools to mentor 7th grade girls.
Q: How has YWLP impacted the local community?
A: YWLP has had outstanding impacts within the local community. We received two research grants: one from the American Association of University Women (AAUW) and another from UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities. These grants provided the funds for us to examine the experiences of middle school girls in Seminole County with harassment and bullying by completing Campus Action Projects, fundraisers, and an L.O.L. leadership workshop.
The Campus Action Projects were initiatives created, developed, and implemented entirely by YWLP Little Sister participants at their middle school campuses. These projects were intended to address bullying and harassment and their purpose was to bring awareness to these issues and to establish among all the students the common goal of creating safer school environments.
We had our first ever Slam Dunk for School Safety Basketball Tournament in February 2012, and we experienced so much success from our community and volunteers. Not only did we receive so many donations that we didn’t lose a penny in putting on the event, we also ending up making approximately $1,500 in less than six hours. This money went to sponsoring our Leading Out Loud (L.O.L.) workshop.
This workshop was attended by 140 individuals in March 2012. The YWLP middle school participants, with help from their Big Sister mentors, created and lead lessons for 5th grade students from the feeder elementary schools in Seminole County. These lessons included how to identify what is bullying/harassment, non-violent ways to react, and how to get help for yourself or others that may be bullied/harassed. Having the 7th graders in the role as “mentors” to the 5th grade students provided them with a sense of pride and ownership with their activities and reaching out to the students.
Q: What are future goals that you want to accomplish for YWLP?
A: I am hoping that the program will be able to expand its influence further within Seminole County, and then build up to the opportunity to expand into Orange County, as well. I am also hoping that YWLP will be able to become more financially stable, by conducting one large fundraiser every semester. Steps toward both of these end goals are directly dependent upon growing the organizations we have and publicizing the need for greater UCF student involvement.
One of the means to these ends involves my project of founding the Young Men’s Leadership Program, which I have spearheaded this fall 2012 semester. Our first mentoring session will begin with 7th grade boys at Milwee Middle School in January 2013. YMLP will be focused on many of the same issues as its sister mentoring program, such as problem-solving, diversity and cultural identity, leadership online, body image and appreciation, and bullying. However, new issues will be discussed, as well, such as violence against women and definitions of strength, masculinity, and manhood.
That being said, YWLP and YMLP are hosting a Recruitment Brunch on Thursday, Nov. 29 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Colbourn Hall Suite 118. Please stop by if you are interested in becoming involved with either of our programs!
Q: What other programs have you been involved with/supported?
A: YWLP, and now YMLP, have been my greatest involvements on the UCF campus, but I have been an ally and supporter of many other progressive organizations on campus. I regularly attended events sponsored by the National Organization for Women (NOW), VOX, College Democrats, Students Against Slavery, and YAYA.
Q: What is your vision/what changes do you hope to see in the future for the social justice movement?
A: I would like to see more solidarity within the feminist and progressive movements. I feel that sometimes we get so mired in our individual paths and goals for the movements we dedicate so much of our time to, that we forget to work together and that our goals are the same: equality and liberation. We’re all guilty of this and I hope that as I move forward in my life I will continue to keep this in mind as I make my life choices.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: I love to read and to hang out with my friends while making food, eating food, talking about food, and watching television programming that features food. We all love each other and love to eat, so it makes sense that a great deal of our time spent together involves edible delights. I also really enjoy cuddling with my demon jungle cat (who is masquerading as a kitten) named Turkey.
Q: Tell us an interesting fact about yourself that most people would be surprised to know.
A: I derive great pleasure from wearing mismatched socks, especially when said socks are neon colors and/or fuzzy.
Q: What are your personal future goals?
A: I am interested in starting my own non-profit organization someday, and I plan to earn my M.A. in Women and Gender Studies. I am also considering earning an M.N.M. in Nonprofit Management and attending law school. You could say that I have a lot of academic goals in the hopes that they will complement or prepare me for my real world endeavors.
Emily encompasses what it means to be a great leader, and through her actions she has proven that one person can make a difference! If you are interested in joining YWLP or YMLP, check out the YWLP at UCF website or the Facebook event for the YWLP/YMLP Recruitment Brunch.