Vanessa Vanderzee Oral History Interview

In the interview, Vanderzee discusses her young life and upbringing at length—detailing her personal and academic pursuits. In addition, Vanderzee explores the role—or lack thereof—of LGBTQ+ issues in her youth. While LGBTQ+ issues were not taboo in her family, Vanderzee explains that they did not become a significant part of her life until after college. Because she did not discover asexuality until her early twenties, this played a role in her journey towards identity and community development.

Much of the interview revolves around Vanderzee’s experiences with the academic institution, and Vanderzee describes her experience as a first generation college student—explaining how she learned to navigate academia with the help of family and mentors. Having lived the majority of her life in Illinois, Vanderzee also compared and contrasts Chicago and Corvallis, and expands upon the differences between her small liberal arts undergraduate experience and her graduate experience at OSU. Finally, Vanderzee reflects on her experiences working for the Oregon State University Queer Archives, the role these experiences played in her thesis research, and her personal and professional plans for the future.