Julia Wallace
Senior Julia Wallace remembers her freshman year Taco Shack like it was yesterday.
“It was the first time I was really involved in Blue Brigade,” she said. “I remember waking up at 4am to be on the news, and having to stay up for a 22 hour day,”
Since then, Julia has served four years on Blue Brigade, a social officer for two.
“BB introduced me to so many people in different grades,” Wallace said. You just become friends because you’re surrounded by each other at 7:30 every single morning.”
Alongside the early morning practices and everlasting friendships she has built over her years on the team, being a social officer played a big role in Wallace’s experience on Blue Brigade.
“I knew I wanted to be involved in the team and wanted to do more behind the scenes stuff,” she said. I liked keeping the team motivated, which is also something I enjoy doing generally in life.”
As the social officers are responsible for keeping morale high, Wallace also has Blue Brigade to thank for her personal sense of motivation.
“Once I became more involved in Blue Brigade, I became more responsible overall and more involved in all of my classwork,” Wallace said.
Throughout her time at McCallum, Wallace has also been a dance major in the fine arts academy program for four years and as a dance ambassador during her senior year. She has played an active role in organizing Math Center and also served as an NHS officer.
“One of the hardest parts was having to balance all the activities I’m doing and organizing multiple things in one day while also working on schoolwork,” Wallace said. “I had to learn how to say no when my friends wanted to hangout and to prioritize.”
The communities Wallace has surrounded herself with during her high school years have shaped her into the person she is today.
“When I first came to McCallum I was a very different person than I am now,” she said. “I think interacting with so many people who come from so many different places really gave me a lot of perspective on life. It helped me be very self aware and introduced me to all these new people, which changed everything about me.”
She will never forget the multitude of relationships she has fostered, in and out of the classroom.
“I’ve met so many fun people in my classes who I don’t hang out with outside of school,” she said. “The biggest lesson I learned was that it doesn’t matter where people come from, everyone’s just a person and everyone has thoughts and opinions.”
Upon reflection, Wallace hopes to take her experience with the people at McCallum to her years beyond high school.
“I really learned how to be outgoing when meeting new people,” she said. “Being able to be approachable and welcoming is something I’m going to take to college.”
Wallace took gratification in her accomplishments, advising others to pursue their passions when thinking about post-graduation life.
“I’m proud that I made it through. I stuck with everything and I didn’t quit when things got hard,” she said. “Always do what you want and think about what you like doing in school, not just if it sounds good. If you really like something you should find ways to apply it into your potential career.”
Wallace will attend the University of Glasgow, Scotland UK in the fall to major in mathematics.
Blue Brigade (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th), Gussie Niel Davis Award, Social Officer (11th, 12th)
Dance Major (9th, 10th, 11th, 12th), Student Ambassador (12th)
NHS (11th, 12th), Officer (12th)
Key Club (11th)
Math Center (11th, 12th), Co-president (12th)