Hey! Welcome to my blog — we’re both new here!
My name is Julia, and I am a 20-year-old from Cranford, a small New Jersey suburb about 40 minutes outside of Manhattan. I just finished my sophomore year at Duke University, where I am working toward my B.S. in Psychology and preparing to apply to medical school. In my free time on campus, I sing soprano alto in Rhythm & Blue, Duke’s coed pop a cappella group; volunteer at PASH, our new student-run sexual health center; and mentor for a college advising startup named CollegeVine. I am also getting into photography, writing, and listening to all sorts of podcasts.
I’m starting a blog because I want to share my college, work, and travel experiences with younger students — especially aspiring pre-medical students who feel boxed into a specific academic path. I hope I can show that it’s worth exploring passions outside of STEM, because life isn’t just a checklist of science classes, exam scores, research experiences, and clinical exposure.
Why now? Because this summer marks the beginning of a very unusual year, for me. At the end of this month, I am heading from my home in New Jersey back down to North Carolina, about three hours west from Duke. There, amidst the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, I’ll spend most of the summer working at a summer literacy and leadership camp for girls from rural Madison County.
After two months in Appalachia, the adventure will have only just begun. In August, my family and I will be spending ten days in Barcelona — our first international family vacation — before they leave me in Prague for my semester abroad. I’m SO EXCITED for this adventure, and I cannot wait to share my travel experiences with you here on this blog!
