Heidelberg University is a community, a family, comprised of as many personalities as there are people. With our “5 Things to Know” blog, you’ll get to know some of them. You’ll learn about their Heidelberg experience and other informative, fun – even quirky – anecdotes. Together, they tell the Heidelberg story.
When Julia Campbell was touring colleges, she ultimately chose the much larger Eastern Michigan University. But she just couldn’t shake that feeling she experienced when accompanying her older sister on a visit to Heidelberg. “The whole time I was at EMU, I kept thinking, ‘What would have happened if I had chosen Heidelberg,’” Julia says. After one year, she transferred and is currently in her third semester at the Berg. She’s completely happy with her decision!
It’s a small world
Bob Youngblood, ’70, actually taught Julia's mother when she was in high school. At one point, Bob visited Julia's class at Berea-Midpark to share his Heidelberg experiences. He can be very convincing. After listening to Bob, Julia signed up for a meeting with her guidance counselor to learn more. “He’s a huge connection for us Berea folks,” Julia says of Bob. No one really knows just how many students he’s recruited or influenced over the years, but he can now count Julia among them.
Sink or swim? She swam
“That’s something I never thought I would do. It was way outside of my comfort zone, but I’m so glad I did it,” Julia says, after returning from spending six weeks in Heidelberg, Germany, as part of the Total Immersion Summer Program in German & European Studies. “When they say full immersion, they mean it,” she says. “My host family didn’t speak any English and I didn’t speak any German, but we learned by doing together.” The experience was her first time traveling internationally. She took the opportunity to also visit to Salzburg and Berlin. “I would definitely go back,” she says.
In the know
Julia is someone who likes to be in the know on campus. To stay in the loop, she joined the Student Alumni Association and enjoys her time working on events and learning about all of the behind-the-scenes details. As a psychology and criminology double major, having a leadership role in the Psi Chi psychology honorary is also important to her. This year, she’s serving as vice president.
The alumni connection
She’s also a student employee in the Office of Alumni Engagement and has spent many hours over the past few weeks assisting with the details of the upcoming Patricia Adams Lecture Series 10th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 2. Julia also sees the value of the alumni network and meeting others like Bob Youngblood who love the Berg. “So many people love to come back to the Berg. It’s cool to see,” she says.
Crazed for trivia
There’s a small group of psychology majors who venture to Phat Cakes in downtown Tiffin weekly to participate in Trivia Night. “Our fearless leader, Dr. (Ginny) Gregg goes with us,” Julia says. “We’ve only won once, but it’s really fun.”