Bella Zollner | Student

Hope Is the Solution

Bella Zollner ’27 isn’t the type to sit on the sidelines. She prefers to be in the heart of the action, exuding a contagious spirit of hopefulness. From her perspective, every challenge is an invitation to work toward a productive outcome, both for herself and for others who might be facing the same situation.

“I feel a responsibility to be part of the change,” she explains. “It has always felt very natural to me that if I was facing a problem, I should try to solve it for others, that if something bad was happening, I should try to be part of the reason to fix it.”

This proactive mindset isn’t just something Zollner talks about; it’s something she lives. And it’s a big part of the reason why she was recently named to GLAAD’s 20 Under 20 list for 2025, an honor that recognizes her influential work in LGBTQ advocacy and media.

“When I got the email, I stopped in my tracks. I'm just a Midwestern girl. There’s no reason I should be getting this. The opportunities that come with it, the networks that come with it — it’s just unbelievable to think that I've been recognized in this way.”

Zollner’s journey to this moment started several years earlier in her hometown of West Lafayette, Ind. “When I was in middle school, I came out as bisexual and I had a very hard time with it,” she explains. Although she acknowledges that many people around her wanted to help, she quickly became aware of the lack of understanding and lack of resources available to her. But true to form, instead of complaining about it, she stepped up and made a connection that would change her life.

“That’s when I emailed the Matthew Shepard Foundation,” she recalls. “It was very random, but they responded and put me in touch with their youth blog, Matthew’s Place. I started writing for them, and I loved it so much. It was fulfilling to help people and see the change it could make.”

From there, Zollner’s interest in advocacy work took flight. She quickly connected with her local Pride center and began partnering with them to help others in her community. She also became more deeply involved with Matthew’s Place, eventually becoming its manager. In this role, she now curates topics, schedules articles, runs social media accounts and works with a team of writers to put helpful content in front of a readership consisting mostly of young queer people in search of resources — just like she was back in middle school.

“The people at the Matthew Shepard Foundation were very empowering for me. It was a huge step that somebody put faith in me to do that. And Pride Lafayette as well — they could have ignored my email or given me a sticker or something, but instead they set me up to become a leader. If people hadn't put their faith in me, I never would have been able to make the jump from just being upset to doing something about it.”

Zollner’s impact on the LGBTQ media and advocacy landscape is significant, but she isn’t letting that stop her from making a difference right here on DePauw’s campus and in the local Greencastle community as well.

With a double major in music performance and political science, Zollner’s college experiences have ranged from opera and ensembles to political campaigns and voter registration drives. She is the president and founder of DePauw’s College Democrats chapter, and she regularly works with the Putnam County Democrats to serve the community and mobilize student volunteers. She also serves as the vice president of recruitment for Alpha Chi Omega, a role that she has found to be particularly rewarding.

“When I ran, I did so because I love the house and I wanted to help,” she says. “I had no idea how much it would tie into career and organizational experience — managing a budget, managing people, meeting deadlines, working with a team. Leadership and communication are important in any career, and I think my time in Alpha Chi has seriously developed my ability to do those.”

After college, Zollner plans to utilize these skills as she carves out a professional role for herself in political communications. But no matter where she ends up or what setbacks she may endure, she is resolute about one thing: she’ll continue to be driven by the promise of a brighter future.

“I think nihilism is useless,” she says. “If I'm unhappy with something, I should try to change it. And if I can't change it, I shouldn't really be complaining about it. The way to overcome is by having hope. That's literally the solution. That’s what changes minds and changes cultures.”