Alumni Spotlight: Julianne Licamele

CAS’21 JUPS & Psychology major

Here is me with my Tombs hat in Machu Picchu! I’ve enjoyed traveling to Peru and Ireland since graduating and I plan on more adventures in Europe and Japan in the coming year! 

What has been your path since graduating from Georgetown? In other words, what are you doing now and how did you get there? In 2021, I graduated from Georgetown with a BA in JUPS and Psychology. Leading up to graduation, I knew I wanted to try out direct service work, so I searched for Americorps positions related to education. I ended up finding a great opportunity in Austin, TX, to work for Breakthrough Central Texas, whose mission is to support students who will be the first in their families to go to college. For two years, I worked to support a caseload of high school students through advising and program planning related to college access. Breakthrough provided me with a lot of professional development surrounding relationship building, knowledge of resources, and program planning. Americorps in general provided a great opportunity for me to build skills quickly and take on a lot of responsibility without needing previous experience. Recently, I started a Master’s in Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin. This opportunity allowed me to build skills in both clinical and policy-related social work during my first-year practicum placement, where I interned at the Travis County Public Defender’s Office. I enjoyed this work a lot, and I plan to find a job in forensic social work.

What is your most memorable experience from the Justice and Peace Studies Program? As a JUPS student, I loved learning about the different careers of my professors. Particularly, I enjoyed the “Restorative Justice” and “Difficult Conversations” (one-credit classes) taught by Professor Tarek Maassarani. The interactive nature of these classes was unlike any class I had taken, and I remember coming out of both of them with so many uses and a deep appreciation for conflict resolution. Also, I remember one day the professor mentioned having to go to the United Nations for something work-related. I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to do something like that one day. I am now applying for an internship at the UNHCR through my program! 

How has your experience with JUPS benefited you or shaped your life today? Being a JUPS major allowed me to have a deep awareness of many types of systemic oppression from both a domestic and international level. It also allowed me to refine my ability to work well in groups and work directly with clients. Going into my social work program, I felt very prepared to discuss relevant theories, and I knew how to navigate conversations about very complicated social issues. The JUPS program also challenged me to understand my own social identities and reflect on how I show up to this work every day. Professors were never afraid to foster an environment where we could confront our privileges and leverage them to create a better world. They understood that this work is never really done, and personal reflection is critical to growth!

What would you say to current undergrads considering a JUPS major, minor, or certificate? I remember when I first met with Dr. Atashi to discuss becoming a JUPS major, she told me how JUPS overlaps with so many other fields. As someone interested in a lot of different areas, I was able to take advantage of the interdisciplinary nature of JUPS. I took literature classes, film and media studies classes, women’s and gender studies classes, and more that all aligned with the JUPS curriculum. I can see the success of the JUPS program when I think about what people in my class are doing now. A lot of the people I knew from JUPS are now public interest attorneys, congressional aid workers, or nonprofit leaders. They gained the skills to go into careers with immense social impact, and that is possible for everyone in the JUPS program. Even those who go into the business sector can bring a justice-informed perspective into spaces that might not have that. If you enjoy interdisciplinary learning and want to make a positive difference in the world, JUPS is a great choice!