While working in her first job in high school, Julia saw firsthand how much styrofoam was being thrown away and developed an interest in sustainability. As a Materials Science and Engineering student, Julia is very interested in polymers and sustainable materials and wants to work on making more environmentally friendly materials.
Life at UIUC
Favorites: Julia’s favorite thing about UIUC is all the opportunities she has had and all the friends she has made. She loves that she feels like she’s a part of a smaller community, even though it is such a large campus.
Why she chose UIUC: Julia chose UIUC because it just felt right. She liked that it was a big campus with a big Materials Science and Engineering department and could really see herself going to school here.
Student Organizations
Phi Sigma Rho engineering sorority
Engineers Without Borders Guatemala project
Marching Illini
Extracurriculars
This semester, Julia reached out to a MatSE professor and was able to get involved with helping out with research.
After Graduation
Julia is passionate about environmental issues and wants to work on making more sustainable materials in order to be a part of the solution to the climate crisis.
Being a Woman in STEM
Julia was a part of the GFX Global Sustainability Scholars course and traveled to Costa Rica to learn more about sustainability with the class. This opportunity allowed her to further explore her interest in sustainability and build her support system of other women in engineering.
Advice to Freshmen
Julia says that it’s okay to not know everything right away and that you should never let that discourage you.
