Julian Gonzalez ‘14 is currently a rising senior at Villanova, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Economics. After graduating from Waterside, he attended King School, where he participated in a variety of activities, most notably being a co-founder of the People of Color affinity group, in addition to being on the basketball team.

Since graduating, Julian has remained deeply connected to Waterside, participating in the Alumni Careers Initiative. He has secured internships at Altrinsic Global Advisors, Cat Rock Capital, and Balance Point Capital, and will be interning at iCapital this summer. His favorite thing about participating in the ACI is “networking with all of the people during my internships as they have become mentors for me and given me such great career advice and professional development advice.”

Julian representing Puerto Rico at the International Festival

To Julian, Waterside is his second family and has helped shape him into the person he is today. He describes his Waterside experience as “the ultimate private high school and college preparatory experience.” Specifically, Waterside provided him with the ability to understand and appreciate individuality and different cultures. Waterside continues to be a strong resource in his career development as Julian credits teachers such as Mrs. Evans and Mr. Duennebier with helping him elevate his resume building and networking skills.

Julian also emphasized the importance of the morning commitment, “Work hard, be kind, and respect learning,” and how it continues to be essential in his day to day life: “The motto has stuck with me as it encompasses some of the essential facets of the human experience. You must work hard to progress your career and personal growth, be kind to others which can open up many doors socially, and respect learning as learning is one of the most important things in life as it happens every day.”

Currently, Julian is an active leader within the Villanova community, functioning as the Treasurer for the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) and First-Generation Villanovans (FGV). In addition to this, he is a part of Finance and Investing for Non-Business Students (FINS) and Villanova Finance Group (VFG). He aspires to have a fulfilling career in finance after graduation. Villanova has taught Julian “valuable time management skills, interpersonal skills, and life skills like being able to live independently.” The ability to interact and network with individuals has been an invaluable experience, impacting Julian positively.

When asked what his favorite course was, Julian responded, “My favorite course was Intro to American Sign Language 1 because my professor was deaf; it was one of the most intellectually stimulating courses of my whole career and proved how brilliant college professors are. The class was fun with many activities that highlighted the importance of understanding deaf culture and made me realize the privileges I have as a hearing person.”

Lastly, Julian had advice that he wanted to impart on current and future Waterside students: “Stay connected with everyone and continue to grow your relationship with Waterside. Don’t just graduate and forget those who helped you grow.”