Meet Julia Kerpel
Karate Training - Anything is possible!
Julia Kerpel is currently attending Highland Park High School in HIghland Park Illinois, graduating in 2023. She currently works at JuliaZumba.org, which she founded, and teaches kids Zumba and STEM crafts online. In her spare time, Julia likes to take part in Zumba, Karate, and Ballet.
When did your love of STEM begin?
When my brother and I were little and playing with blocks, he would build a really creative tower, like one from a Dr. Seuss book! I would build a tower that was sturdy and had structural integrity. In school, I fell in love with math because understanding numbers was easier for me than understanding people. Numbers made sense of things in the world, like why buildings stay up, and why a ball can be thrown in the air and then comes down. That logic brings me peace in a chaotic world.
But there were always more boys than girls in all of my math and science classes. At first, I didn’t think much of it. But as I learned about equality and women’s rights and representation, I wanted to encourage other girls to love science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) too. I’ve been very fortunate to have family, teachers and members of the community encourage me to pursue STEM. I know that that not a lot of girls have the same kind of support. So, I developed a passion for inspiring other girls to pursue STEM.
What is the best part about working in the field of STEM?
It's really inspiring to see girls all over the world who love STEM as much as I do. I began empowering girls internationally as a volunteer ambassador for greenlight for girls in October 2020. The international non-profit greenlight for girls is about instilling confidence in girls and sharing the fun of science in all its forms. I was appointed Ambassador Coordinator in January 2021 and since then have been organizing activities and managing projects for greenlight for girls ambassadors who are inspiring girls in their communities throughout the world to study STEM.
What advice would you give young women interested in a career in STEM?
The sky is the limit! Follow your passions! I hope to encourage girls everywhere to keep their minds and bodies to pursue STEM, and to remember that anything is possible!