My work has been very rewarding in this job in that I’ve been able to see change happen in a community that I love and be a part of that change which is really exciting for me. I was just talking with a group of students a couple of weeks ago and they asked why I liked my job and I said because I love being able to be a part of something that you can see. And I always say that I don’t know that I would be able to do my job as it is today in Boston. Because I have lived in Boston, but I do not have that type of connection to Boston. I grew up here and being able to improve an area where you grew up, that’s something special. That is one of the highlights of my job.
Julie Anne Holstrom was born on August 4th, 1981. An only child, she grew up in Auburn, Massachusetts with caring, loving, supportive parents. Julie often visited Worcester as a child and holds fond memories of the city close to her heart. Julie went to the Auburn Public Schools, got her undergraduate degree in political science from Providence College, and after graduating earned her master's degree from Clark University in public administration. Today, Julie is a senior project manager for the Worcester Business Development Corporation. Throughout the interview, Julie speaks of Worcester in the highest regard and with much appreciation for how far the city has come. In the interview with Julie, she tells of the mentors she has had along the way that helped her to get where she is today. Julie describes the struggles of women in a male dominated field of work. In the interview, Julie shares the struggles her family has faced with her four-year-old daughter’s health issues and how her family overcame this difficult time. Julie conveys how lucky she feels to have had great health care when her daughter ended up needing open heart surgery. She would advise young women to “Push. Stand up. Say what you believe. Do what you want to do.”