It’s hard to believe that the little girl who changed my perspective back in 2012 is off to college!! Julia was just seven years old when she proved to me that Emma‘s diagnosis of Down syndrome would not define her or the woman she would become.
The first time we met, Julia made eye contact and told me about her activities, her brothers, and grandparents, and she played joyfully with baby Emma. She exemplified what life would look like for our family, a life in which Emma could do anything she put her mind to. Sure, there would be therapies, extra school meetings, tutoring and maybe even a few extra doctor appointments, but largely, life would be like most other families. Meeting Julia and seeing her successes at an early age propelled me into a life of advocacy and inclusion—and a sense that Emma would be more alike than different. Julia's parents strongly believe in inclusion and have been a source of inspiration. I’m forever grateful for their guidance and friendship.
And now, 10 years later, Julia will be graduating from high school this week and was accepted to not one but two colleges! She accepted the offer at East Stroudsburg University (ESU) after a vigorous application and interview process. At ESU, Julia will live off campus with other students, take classes, and have an internship that will provide her with practice work and community experiences. The activities of her program are designed to focus on personal development as well as provide opportunities to develop skills that will be essential for independent living and future employment.
I had the pleasure of conducting a mock interview with Julia over Zoom to help her prepare for her college interviews—she killed it. I often found myself tearing up about how genuine her answers were and how articulate she was. When asked about her strengths, she told me that she has a "very kind heart and is very talkative to other people" and that she is able to "start lots of conversations with anyone” she meets. She shared with me that in high school she participated in an early childhood education program during her junior and senior years and she'd like to be a teacher in the future. Her role model is her grandfather because he’s the one who "taught [her] about love and he also inspired [her] to become a teacher because he was a teacher."
Julia loves to watch TV, make TikToks, sing and dance. Her favorite books are Romeo and Juliet and The Color of Water. Her proudest accomplishment is completing high school Algebra II. Julia is also a skilled public speaker. Last September, she gave an impromptu speech at the September 11 memorial service in her hometown, where she spoke about the loss of her grandfather and how proud she is to be an American. Julia thinks the best things about college will be living at school and hanging out with new friends. And just last week, Julia was voted prom queen by her peers!
All of us at Rock the 21 can’t wait to see the successes sure to come Julia’s way during her college experience.
Congratulations, Julia! You Rock!
-Tara Stauber
Thanks to you, our generous donors, Rock the 21 has donated toward Julia’s college expenses at ESU.
