Julie Kelly, a senior Health Promotion Fitness Management major at Rowan is a big part of fitness on and off campus. With internships, leadership opportunities and her dedicated personality, Julie is sure to inspire others with her motto, “doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” She hopes to continue her journey in the fitness and health world in a graduate assistantship with a campus recreation department of a different school.
How Her Journey Began
Julie entered Rowan as a Public Relations major but her life turned 360 when she got a job at the Rec Center.
“I immersed myself in the fitness world and the new atmosphere the Rec offered me and knew that switching majors to the health field seemed logical because of how much I loved my new job,” says Julie.
But this fitness buff didn’t always love or immerse herself in the health field.
“Growing up, I was always unhealthy and overweight. I was never naturally good at sports and I was certainly not fit or healthy. Making the lifestyle change throughout the end of my high school career and into my college career, ultimately allowed me to realize that my decision to become healthier changed my life completely. Watching others succeed in fitness or make healthful changes to their lifestyle reminds me why I have chosen the right field,” explains Julie.
Words of Wisdom
Her favorite quote she tries to live by is, “doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
“I have failed plenty of times, made countless mistakes, disappointed myself and others, and I have had plenty of doubts. Realizing that those doubts are only hindering dreams is important for success. Having confidence in the path you have chosen and in the goals you desire to achieve is crucial. Why should anyone else have confidence in you, if you don’t have confidence in yourself? How can you doubt something you haven’t tried yet?It’s all about living life outside of your comfort zone. Leaving the doubts in the dust and focusing on the road ahead, while looking at failures as small bumps in the road that will only make your success even sweeter and more satisfying,” says Julie.
Internship Experiences
Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ)
Julie served as the primary contact for parents and campers during her summer internship at Special Olympics New Jersey as the Camp Shriver camp coordinator.
Each summer, SONJ runs a day camp and an evening camp, free of charge, for athletes around the area. Both camps run for four weeks and focus on different sports and games each week, says Julie who worked over 40 hours per week there. There were over 100 campers each week for day camp and they ranged from 12 to 25 years old, over 30 campers for our evening camp with ages that ranged all the way to 50 years old and over 20 campers for developmental camp with campers ages 2-12 years old.
“Not only did the SONJ staff influence my summer, the athletes at camp never failed to make me smile and reminded me to be grateful. Each day was a new experience and each camper was like a new puzzle that I had to figure out. I spent a lot of my time walking around with our behaviorist and learning about different campers’ and their disabilities and behaviors,” explains Julie.
“There is something special about working with children and adults with intellectual disabilities- their positive attitude on life, their enthusiasm and their genuine affection and appreciate is hard to find in individuals today but never hard to find in Special Olympics.”
NJ Summer Games
“In addition to camp, I also had the opportunity to help at the NJ Summer Games in May before our day camp started and this really allowed me to see the true dedication of each SONJ employee. Witnessing the commitment and enthusiasm of the staff firsthand was truly priceless and taught me a lot about the importance of putting your passion and energy into your work,” says Julie.
During the games the hours for the staff did all the behind the scenes work to ensure the athletes and their families enjoyed the events. The staff had 5 a.m. until 11 p.m. days consisted of heavy lifting and moving, long set ups and clean ups and lengthy to-do lists, according to Julie.
Virtua Health and Wellness Center
This semester Julie wanted an internship experience that focused more closely on her major and what she has been learning in school. She is completing her 9 credit, 400 hour internship at Virtua Health and Wellness Center in Washington Township.
Virtua is a full functioning fitness center with cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy, personal training, group exercise and an urgent care medical center. As a fitness intern, Julie will be supervising the fitness floor as well as observing and assisting in personal training sessions and client communication. She will also be teaching group exercise classes, spinning and a bootcamp class for kids.
Leadership Experiences
Unified Sports
Julie become involved with Unified Sports as freshman and has held the positions of secretary, vice president and now president.
“The role definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone; it is a challenging position but I absolutely love it. Seeing Unified Sports become a nationwide movement and also the largest and one of the most successful sport clubs on campus makes all of the hard work and time that I put into the club completely worth it, “ says Julie.
Julie explains that being a president of a club is definitely not easy especially when you are managing 150 members.
“It’s difficult and challenging. It tests my limits every day. It is stressful and time-consuming. But it’s also rewarding and gratifying and humbling and a huge opportunity to further myself as a student, a professional and a leader,” explains Julie.
She feels she has learned more about herself while also developing her leadership skills.
“While I have learned and improved skills such as listening, confidence, public speaking, time management and organization, I have learned a lot more about myself. I have learned about my patience and my ability to run meetings and events smoothly with confidence, I have also learned how to empower my club members to make them feel like they are more than just a member. I want everyone to receive the same impactful experience from their involvement that I have received from mine,” says Julie.
Rowan Intramural Recreational Sports Association (RIRSA)
Julie is also the president of Rowan Intramural Recreational Sports Association (RIRSA) which participates in many community service projects on campus and also sponsors Miles for Medals 5K each year and hosts National Rec Sports and Fitness Day with free activities. The club primarily focuses around various aspects of Campus Recreation and student and professional development.
“We attend conferences each year for our national organization, NIRSA, and I have been able to travel to Nashville and Boston and meet influential individuals who share the same passion for campus recreation that I do. Being able to meet someone from halfway across the country who knows about Rowan’s Rec department is an incredible thing and I love the networking that occurs at the conferences. I have perfected my resume and interviewing skills, been able to meet people who can help me succeed along the way and learned valuable new information from various workshops that I have applied at Rowan. Had I never joined this club, I would have never had found my passion for Campus Recreation and discovered the career path that I am now taking,” says Julie.
Future Plans.
“As I was growing up, I decided that I had one major criteria for my career: To wake up every day, excited to go to work. Four years of college and two majors later, I have finally found that I can achieve that goal with campus recreation. If I can continue to accomplish this goal and wake up sincerely happy to be doing what I am doing, then I consider myself successful.”