Julia Tipper’s Academic Self

 

 

Julia Tipper: Academic Profile 

 

Julia Tipper is an intelligent and well-rounded teenage girl. She is currently still in high school and is enrolled in a dual enrollment course that allows her to take college courses while still in high school. While talking with Julia, I learned that she is basically a grown adult that is still in high school. Julia works, is enrolled in dual enrollment, wakes up early to go to the gym, and she is preparing herself for her future. Julia’s dual enrollment was my first clue of just how intelligent she is. During my interview with Julia, she told me about her time in gymnastics and how that shaped her in being a professional in time management. I learned that Julia wants to be a Physician’s Assistant at the end of her academic career, and she is taking every possible step to get it finished as fast as possible. After a few days of Julia and I emailing, I was able to finally paint a picture of her academic self in the proper form. 

When I think of a teenage girl, I think of a girl watching YouTube make up tutorials, making TikTok videos, and gossiping about boys. This is not Julia Tipper or at least it isn’t her academic self. Julia is a full-time high school student who is enrolled in dual enrollment. Dual enrollment is a program that allows for smart and successful high school students to take college classes so that they are ahead of the game. I asked Julia “What made you choose dual enrollment and how did you know which class to pick?” This is when I learned that Julia has always been smart and that she decided to use her intelligence to its full potential. This was evident when she responded to me with “I’ve always been a year ahead in literature as it’s also been my easiest/best subject and so I decided to do dual enrollment this year to get some college classes done.” (J.Tipper January 2021) I have no doubt that Julia is going to be successful in her academic pursuits.  

My goal in getting to know Julia’s academic self was coming up with a story of who she was as a younger girl and get the story for life experiences that have shaped her into being who she is today. Julia’s biggest story is the one of her competitive gymnast years. When telling me about her three academic self words, Julia took the time to add in one more, time management. “This wasn’t one of my words, but I wanted to add it to tell you a little more about me. Another word is time management.” (J, Tipper, January 2021) Competitive gymnastics was so time consuming for Julia that she had to take online courses in order to stay on top of her schoolwork. She was able to not only compete in her sport, but also was able to keep her grades up which is not easy for such a young person.  “Not only was the sport physically demanding, but also mentally. I did the sport for so long that I found my identity in it.” (J. Tipper January 2021) During her time as a gymnast, Julia learned how to use her time effectively and to its full power.  

Ms. Tipper’s amazing story doesn’t just end at gymnastics and dual enrollment. Julia has bigger plans for herself which comes as no surprise since she is already extremely successful academically at such a young age (17). A career as a Physican’s Assistant is what Julia has begun preparing herself for. “. I decided to do dual enrollment courses to try and get my freshman year classes completed in high school that way my bachelor’s degree would only take three years to complete. My school has a healthcare program that’s three years long and I’m currently taking my last year of it.” (J. Tipper January 2021) As amazed as I was, I asked Julia how she was able to juggle all this schooling with being enrolled in two schools and working full-time. I asked her if there were any videos she watched from our class assignments that helped her at all. “The video about the organizational strategies just because sometimes it’s hard for me to stay organized with my classes. From the video, I learned that I can utilize my icollege calendar to help me keep track of upcoming assignments.” (J. Tipper January 2021)  

Julia Tipper’s academic profile is simple. She is determined, reliable, courageous, and exhibits impeccable time management. Julia’s academic self was shaped at an early age due to her love for competitive gymnastics. Gymnastics taught her the invaluable lesson of time management as well as determination. After losing her passion for gymnastics, Julia still held onto the lessons learned and dedicated herself to her academic success. She is an incredibly smart and determined young woman who is enrolled in college courses while still in high school. The pay off and end goal for Julia is becoming a Physician’s Assistant. Everything she is doing today is to prepare her for the day that she gets to bare the title Julia Tipper, PA.  

It’s said that life events shape us to be who we are today. For Julia, her younger self shaped her for academic success. What has shaped YOU for your academic success? 

 

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