Julia Goncalves: from around the Corner to around the World

The 19-year-old Government and Politics major pursuing a minor in French comes from a “St. John’s family”—she is the fourth child in a family of five to attend St. John’s, and they live blocks away from the campus. Her mom is a double St. John’s alumna.

“St. John’s has always been part of my life, and throughout my college search I kept coming back to it,” she observed. 

In Fall of 2023, the Archbishop Molloy High School graduate arrived on campus with 27 college credits earned as a rigorous high school student through the College Advantage program and Advanced Placement credits. College Advantage allows qualified junior and senior high school students the opportunity to enroll concurrently in their high school and college credit-bearing courses through St. John’s at a reduced tuition cost. The $3,000 College Advantage Program Grant is then awarded to students who enroll at St. John’s. That grant, combined with another $3,000 Catholic High School Scholarship and a generous Provost Scholarship, help keep Julia’s out-of-pocket expenses affordable. Now starting her second year, Julia is already considered a junior and has found a second home on campus while making the most of an accelerated college experience. “My familiarity with the campus, combined with having earned so many credits while in high school and the flexibility it provides me as I pursue internships and extracurricular activities, has been wonderful,” she said.

Julia certainly made the most of her first year at St. John’s and expects to do the same in the year ahead. With an interest in international relations and a desire to help change the world, she opted to study government and politics because of St. John’s metropolitan and global opportunities and because New York City is home to the United Nations. 

An accomplished linguist, she studied French in high school and advanced in her studies in college. She is also proficient in American Sign Language (ASL), the natural language that serves as the predominant sign language of deaf communities.

“I started to teach myself sign language as far back as grammar school and throughout high school volunteered at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus Mid-Hudson Valley Deaf Camp,” she explained. “It is so fun, the kids are great, and it makes for a memorable volunteer experience.”

During a first-semester government class, Brian Browne, Associate Vice President of University Communications and Public Affairs, referred her to a fellow St. John’s alumnus looking to place college students as interns in the district office of US Representative Grace Meng (6th District–NY). Julia’s internship experience involved helping to process constituent casework, researching issues, and interacting with a diverse and densely populated district.

During the spring semester, she secured an internship in the local office of New York State Assemblymember David I. Weprin after she met a member of his staff while attending a meeting of the St. John’s Community Dialogue Group.

“As both a student and someone from the neighborhood, I enjoy seeing how the University interacts with the surrounding community and is impacted by local issues,” she shared. “I hope to have an internship every semester that I’m here.”

In April, Julia tapped into the expansive St. John’s alumni network when she participated in the Alumni Insider’s View…NYS Capital, a day-long alumni networking event held in Albany, NY, where she got an up-close exposure to the inner workings of New York State government.

Not limiting herself to government opportunities, Julia also works as a receptionist at her home parish, Holy Family Roman Catholic Church, to help defray her expenses.

During her first year, Julia joined St. John’s-sponsored service opportunities that included working at a local food pantry, thus living the Vincentian mission. She also took classes off campus at the Sign Language Center in Manhattan. On campus, she joined the ASL Club and the Ukrainian Club and worked with Student Government, Inc. on the Elections Committee.

As her spring semester ended, Julia completed a weeklong mini session at the University’s Paris, France, location, as an extension of the philosophy class she completed. “We took class in the morning and then had excursions in the afternoon that coincided with our lesson,” she explained. “The Paris location is so centrally located to life in the ‘City of Lights.’”

“Julia was one of the top students in my Global Passport philosophy class this past spring and was part of the group I took to Paris in May,” shared Christine Salboudis, Ed.D., Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy. “She’s a very hard-working student who knows how to bring theory to life through examples from the real world—a combination of her own experience as well as focused research. Julia has both remarkable team spirit and leadership abilities and will be an asset to any organization to which she belongs.”

Azzedine Layachi, Ph.D., Professor, Government and Politics, echoed similar observations stating, “Julia is a happy student and an enthusiastic learner who always contributed to class discussions.”

Reflecting on the rapid and transformative first-year experience, Julia is pensive. “I always thought I knew what St. John’s was about, but being here has opened my eyes to all the opportunities and everything that the University offers,” she said. “The campus is beautiful, people are friendly, and the professors, administrators, and staff genuinely want to help you succeed. Once you get involved with one thing, it inevitably leads to new people and places.”

“Being so close to campus, I could go home between classes, but I find myself spending more time here for the campus life,” she added. “Long weekends enable me to pursue another passion of mine—travel.”

Looking forward, Julia shared, “I want to spend a semester abroad, maybe in the spring, and I hope any new internships will help prepare me for my future, whatever that might be. Cultivating my interests in languages, travel, and diplomacy are all things that I know will help form my professional career.”

When asked to describe her first year at St. John’s, Julia thoughtfully stated, “If not for St. John’s, I would not have been able to grow the way that I have. Yes, having an easy commute helps my work-life balance, but there is so much more to do and so many unfamiliar places to go.”

With only two years left, Julia is determined to see and do as much as possible, while learning and growing along the way.