There's No Place Like Home

Julia Blackburn ’20 began her college studies at a small liberal arts school in Virginia, but after two years at Randolph-Macon, she decided to come home.

 

“I think that I transferred back to Washington College because I just missed it here,” says Julia, a biology major on the premedical track who dreams of becoming an orthopedic surgeon. “It was a good two years, spent on a small campus like this, but I just missed Chestertown.”

Julia’s parents are both physical therapists. They own Aquafit, a local health and fitness facility in Chestertown, and they both work at the local hospital. Through those family connections, Julia has shadowed orthopedists practicing in the area.

“They want me to take over Aquafit and become a PT. I like what they do,” Julia admits, “but I like more adrenaline stuff like surgery or emergency medicine. 

Even though she commutes to campus to save money on room and board, she’s not always a homebody. She also loves traveling, and she jumped at the opportunity last summer to shadow doctors in Croatia. Before the pandemic, she had hoped to spend a few weeks this summer for a similar experience in Greece. Now she’s all about studying for the MCATs.