Get to Know Julia Carlson - Distinguished Young Woman of Nebraska for 2012

Name: Julia Ann Carlson Age: 19 Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska College: University of Minnesota Major: Biology with a minor in Management Favorite food: Pumpkin anything…and tea!  Favorite movie: Elf, I watch it all year round! Current #1 most played song on your iPod: Is and will always be "Dancing in the Moonlight"  Favorite quote: very difficult to choose, but one I am recently fond of is… “elegance is not the prerogative of those who have just escaped from adolescence, but  of those who have already taken possession of their future.” -Coco Chanel Favorite time of year: Fall, the trees are so pretty!  Plan ahead OR procrastinate: Plan ahead, although there are occasional deadlines that somehow slip through the cracks! Paper OR plastic: Paper so I can recycle it. Glass half-full OR glass half-empty: Half-Full! Introvert OR extrovert: I appear to be an introvert, but I like to think of myself as an extrovert. Cats OR Dogs: Dogs, I miss my dog Bob so much, I haven’t seen him since August and I can’t wait until Thanksgiving when I get to!  Morning person OR night person: Morning person…as soon as I’ve had my tea! If you could be any color crayon, what would you be and why? If I could be any color crayon I would be sea-foam green, because it is the color of my car and my car smells like crayons!  Not to mention, when I tell everyone I own a Volkswagen bug they tend to say, “Oh Julia, you would!” What would I find in your refrigerator right now (if you have one)? Currently, my side of my roommate and I’s tiny refrigerator is full of almond milk, apples, left-over tea leaves from the last cup of tea I made, and Trader Joe’s peanut butter. What do you want to be when you grow up and why? For the longest time my career goals have been more scattered than leaves in the fall.  However, I am happy to say that upon entering college I have finally narrowed down what I want to be!  Currently, I would like to earn a dual degree in Law and Public Health Administration and Policy; a mouthful I know!  I want to be one of the people mandating our countries health policies and making change to the public for the better.  I love applying research and working with people and I feel that this is the right place for me.  It makes me so happy every time I get the opportunity to talk about it and I am so happy that I know where I am headed! Describe your single-most favorite moment from your Distinguished Young Women experience. It is so hard to choose a favorite moment of an experience that was bursting with happy memories.  However, the one that touched my heart the most was when I heard the name of the Distinguished Young Woman of Nebraska for 2013 and it was Maddy Miller, my dear friend, whose mother has been my dance teacher since I was four years old.  To be able to put the silver medallion around her neck was such a wonderful moment for me.  I was so proud of her and I cannot express how excited I am that she gets to go through the same experience that I did!  Maddy is such a wonderfully distinguished woman and I cannot wait to hear about her experience when she comes back from Mobile, hopefully I will be able to be there for her as a has-been!