Name: Julia Garcia
Age: 21
Hometown: Madrid, Spain
School: NJIT
Major: Finance
Graduation Date: May 2018
Favorite Local Spot: Intrinsic coffee shop
Post-graduation Plans: To work for Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City, Utah
Julia Garcia moved across an ocean when she was 17 years old. A senior at NJIT, Julia hails from Madrid, Spain. She wasn’t afraid of the move because she knew that something wonderful was waiting for her on the other side: the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Out of several U.S. schools, Julia picked NJIT for two very specific reasons.
FROM SPAIN TO NEWARK
“I REALLY LIKED FENCING. I figured, at some point, I was going to decide to pursue my athletic career and study, both at the same time. And the place where I had the most possibility was the U.S.,” she says.
At the time that Julia was applying to universities, NJIT had just introduced a fencing program to give its students the opportunity to compete in the combat sport. Based on old-fashioned sword play, the competitions are fierce and many students train for years to rise through the fencing community, both in Europe and in the U.S.
“MY COACH WAS AMAZING AND I made so many friends,” Julia says. “I was never really scared or intimidated.”
Between her sport and a tough major in finance, Julia spent most of her time on NJIT’s campus—in the new financial lab in particular. Outside of fencing, Julia was the president of the student group that manages NJIT’s Investment Fund. With her finance major and a minor in information systems, she was able to line up a job at Goldman Sachs’ Salt Lake City location. She moved there after graduating in May.
“I’m not going to be focusing on fencing anymore,” she says. “I have to grow up sometime, right? But I will miss the people. The people here are just really welcoming. And since I came here, I feel like it was my second home.”
What else will Julia miss about Newark? “The coffee shop Intrinsic,” she says. “It’s just the best coffee shop, ever.”
