Interviewer
Levi Goddard
Description
Zoey Aller reflects on growing up in Big Timber, Montana, where small-town expectations around sports, religion, and conformity often left her feeling out of place. After moving to Missoula to attend the University of Montana, she found a community more welcoming of difference, creativity, and queer identity. Zoey discusses her journey of self-discovery as a bisexual woman, the challenges of navigating identity in rural Montana, and the freedom she has found in a city where she can be herself. She also shares her aspirations to become a high school history and government teacher, concerns about teacher shortages and educational inequities in rural communities, and the mentors who shaped her path. Throughout the interview, Zoey reflects on belonging, independence, family relationships, and her hopes for a more inclusive future for queer youth and rural students across Montana. Aller was interviewed by undergraduate student Levi Goddard for Dr. Jody Pavilack’s Practicing Oral History class.
Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Rural Montana, Montana teacher crisis, Montana Department of Education, queer identity, bisexual identity, LGBTQ+ youth, rural education, teacher shortage, educational equity, small-town life, teaching profession
Original Date
10-27-2025
Time Period
Twenty-first century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Queer In and Out of Montana Oral History Project, OH 494, Archives & Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / email Archives and Special Collections
Oral History Number
OH 494-015
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
01:00:30 minutes
Local Filename
OH_494_015_audio_use.mp3; OH_494_015_transcript.pdf
Citation
Aller, Zoey, "Zoey Aller Interview, October 27, 2025" (2025). Queer In and Out of Montana Oral History Project. 14.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/queermontana_oralhistories/14