VERMONT MAGAZINE Winter 2021 | Page 37

up getting a job , which was pretty terrific . I began working as his scheduler during the campaign . After he won , I moved to Washington to serve as a scheduler and executive assistant . I had never really been out of Vermont before . I can distinctly remember the day I took the key and opened up the door to the Longworth House Office Building , where his office was . It was a historic moment for Vermont - and for me , personally . After that , I went to the International Committee of the Red Cross , which was motivated by my longstanding interest in human rights and international relations . I wanted to understand humanitarian assistance , especially because my own brother was serving as a Marine and had been deployed to Iraq .

Sherman : What made you decide to return to Vermont ?

Gray : As cheesy as it may sound , you can leave Vermont , but Vermont never leaves you . No matter where I ’ ve been in the world - and I ’ ve been in some pretty challenging places , including the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Iraq , and elsewhere - people ask , “ Where are you from ?” I immediately say , “ I ’ m from Vermont ,” with a deep sense of pride and an enthusiasm to help people understand what is so special about this place that we ’ re lucky enough to call “ home .” At some point , I realized that I wanted to play a part in protecting , caring for , and helping this place that I love so much . After working for the International Committee of the Red Cross for a few years , I came home to Vermont . I wanted to get a law degree , I wanted to be closer to my family , and I wanted to start a career here . I went to Vermont Law School , which is in South Royalton . It ’ s a top public interest and environmental law school , which also has a pretty fantastic international law program . What I loved most about the Vermont Law School is that it was like a large law firm in many ways . You would see classmates in the cafeteria , at the co-op , on the town green , and at one of the town ’ s two bars . At some point , you realized that you had to be kind to each other . Not only did you have to - you wanted to , because you would see the same people , your fellow aspiring public servants and lawyers , again and again . It created a sense of accountability and a sense of community . There ’ s a lot that I learned that didn ’ t come from just reading case law !

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