At last Friday's meeting, December 8, Julie Croskill gave her Up Close and Personal presentation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracey introduced Julie, and thanked her for all the work she has done for the club so far and the positive impact she has had since becoming a member. 

 

Julie, began by explaining her preferred nickname is Jules and that she regrets introducing herself to the club as Julie. Everyone back home calls her Jules.

 

Julie grew up in a small town in a neighbourhood filled with kids. Personal background and family history. She considered her closest friend, Laurie, her twin sister. 
   
Jules reflected on her childhood experience, and highlighted the importance of community building and family identity.

 

At the end of high school, Jules visited her friend, who was a year older, at Queens University. At the time, she didn't know much about the university, nor its prestigious academic record, but she knew she wanted to attend. Not because of the academics, but because she saw the cheerleading club perform. Jules was a huge fan of the "Bring It on" movies and wanted to be just like Kirsten Dunst. Jules went back home motivated, and raised her grades so she could get accepted into Queens University. 

 

In her first few years, Jules was a member of the cheerleading team, but she was injured at the end of her second year and began to focus more on academics. A major influence was Professor Elizabeth Goodman-Grant, who taught Jules research methodologies and statistics, and later invited her to stay at Queen's University for their honours thesis and master's degree.

 

This led Jules to pursue her PhD at the University of Calgary in political science. Jules' favorite part of her PhD was studying research methodologies, specifically how to design methods to confidently answer a research question. However, she found that she didn't enjoy the writing process. So, when she graduated from her program, Jules eagerly accepted a job at McMaster University's Health Research Services Office, where she reviews grant proposals and ensures ethical standards are met.

 

Jules than discussed how she met her husband, Mike, and how they bought a house in Guelph. On the day that they moved in they were exhausted and needed to grab household supplies from Walmart in the North end. On their way back, Mike pulled into Riverside Park to take Jules through the Sparkles in the Park Display. 

 

Fast forward half-a-year, Jules decided to join the Rotary Club of Guelph because she wanted to become involved in a community organization and be able to meet new people. Jules finished her presentation by thanking the club for being so welcoming. 

 

Rosemary thanked Jules for her talk and for everything Jules has contributed to the club. Rosemary also noted that Up Close and Personal talks are always her favourite programs. It's an excellent way to learn more about new Rotarians. 

 

Notes were taken by AI and reformatted by the editor.