Her Story
About Julia
My journey to education wasn't a straight path. In undergrad, I explored dentistry, geology, business, and law before finding my true calling. Everything changed when I volunteered with Celebria, a National Science Foundation program that celebrated low-income families. I remember leaving that program that day just very fulfilled, knowing this is what I want to do - I want to work with families, I want to teach kids. That very week, I enrolled myself in the College of Education at the University of New Mexico. I completed my undergrad at UNM, focusing on Spanish and ESL, and began working in what they called the War Zone, now renamed the international area. I then had the opportunity to attend Columbia University in New York, where I received my Master's in Educational Leadership, driven by the belief that we can't just complain about things we don't like or things we see that can be fixed - we can't fix them if we don't have the tools to fix them. After working at several charter schools across New Mexico, I am now the lead founder of Inspira STEAM Academy, which in English means inspire. We are in the planning year and will open our doors July 27th this summer as an elementary school here in Las Cruces that will focus on STEAM and bilingual education. The best part of my work is the kids - their smiles, their wonder, their unfiltered sense of love for everything. I'm touching the future, staring into the future every time they walk in through those doors.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Julia
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would have to say watching my kids succeed. I have 3 kiddos, and we went through COVID while I was an administrator, trying to make this happen online, and the whole world was under distress. Watching them just succeed and be resilient, even though they were little, that is one of the biggest accomplishments. We can't succeed if we don't take care of what we have at home. It doesn't matter if we are great at academia, if we're helping hundreds, thousands of folks, but we also have to make sure things are good at home. Watching them grow and be resilient, that piece is very important. My faith is also central to everything I do. For me, it's very important to recenter myself through my faith and get me through all of the challenges that come on a daily basis, quickly and furiously. Going to church on Sundays and receiving the Word and getting centered, that's something that's very important to me.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely tell them to do what they love. It took me 6 years to find out what I wanted to do, and I'm glad I didn't rush through it. I'm glad I didn't jump on what was popular or what made me money, because we're definitely not in this for the money. I think that they need to find what makes them happy. Of course, they need to pay their bills and there's other responsibilities, but I think that if you truly find what brings you joy, what brings you fulfillment, that's a life changer. You'll be able to stay in your field and you'll be able to give back in the field that you choose. You can tell when people love what they're doing, and you can tell when they've gone into it for multiple reasons, whether it was a need they had at that moment, a financial need, or family pressure, or what it might be. Really focus on what fulfills them professionally, what fulfills them emotionally. I would say search for that, don't rush through it, take time, because that's something that you're going to invest the rest of your life in. When I went to that event and I just remember what I felt and what I wanted to do and how I wanted to give back, that was just life-changing. And it still is. It's the reason why I get up in the morning. It's the reason why, even through tears and frustration and stress, it's okay, we'll find a way, we'll get through this, and we'll make it happen.
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