Meet Northwest Alum ‘18 Julia: “Hi, my name is Julia Hess and I graduated from Northwest in 2018. I majored in Sociology at Whitman College, and am currently a Program Coordinator at the Pahara Institute.
My time at Northwest prepared me well for Whitman. I was ready to jump into college-level writing, learned strong study and time management skills, and felt comfortable seeking support from professors when I needed it. My humanities conferences at Northwest helped me be comfortable attending professors’ office hours in college. I was already familiar with discussing my work with a teacher, receiving feedback, and asking questions that would help me succeed in class. I felt more confident and prepared at Whitman as a result.
Running cross country and track at Northwest was another wonderful part of my high school experience that continues to impact my life choices. It prompted me to run varsity cross country and track all four years at Whitman, providing me with a great community of teammates and leadership opportunities as team captain.
Post-college, I now coach high school cross country and track in Denver. I hope to be a positive influence in the lives of the students I coach, just like my Northwest coaches were for me. I also still run recreationally - distance running continues to be a way for me to find community, balance, and have fun. I’m grateful to my coaches and teammates at Northwest for cultivating my lifelong love for running.”