Miami University senior calls leadership roles in student organizations ‘invaluable'
Julia Jacobs will represent Ohio at the National American Miss competition over Thanksgiving break
Miami University senior calls leadership roles in student organizations ‘invaluable'
“It encompasses both my skill and my passion,” the senior honors student from Dublin, Ohio, said.
Jacobs has a double major in Professional Writing and Strategic Communication with a minor in Creative Writing. She added Strategic Communication because she knew it would pair well with Professional Writing when it comes to being prepared for the workforce — “and I decided to minor in Creative Writing for fun.”
Writing has always been fun for Jacobs, who discovered in middle school how much she liked researching and composing papers.
“I enjoyed it so much that I would offer to review and critique my friends’ essays for fun,” said Jacobs, who has earned several awards for her writing. Most recently, she was awarded the Mary Jo Priest Award in Professional Writing from Miami’s Department of English.
Jacobs interned during this summer in Columbus at Vaco, which supports clients by providing direct hire staffing, executive search services, contract staffing, and managed services.
“I’d previously worked part-time jobs in retail and the food industry, but Vaco was my first time working professionally in a business environment,” she said, noting that she worked in communications, marketing, public relations, operations, and more.
“The experience shaped me as a professional, and I know that it will serve me immensely when I graduate in the spring and start my career.”
A crowning achievement
But first, Jacobs will represent Ohio at the National American Miss competition over Thanksgiving break. She is grateful for the Ohio title that she won earlier this year.
“I’ll be competing at Nationals with the ‘Miss’ representatives from each of the 50 states,” she said. “I’ve already met and become friends with several of them, including Miss Michigan and Miss Iowa, and I’m incredibly excited to get to know the other state winners.”
Jacobs began competing in the National American Miss competition when she was 9.
“It’s not a beauty pageant, it’s a scholarship pageant; the areas of competition are interview, personal introduction, and formal wear. The experience teaches young girls and women invaluable life skills, like interviewing, public speaking, and stage presence,” she said.
She has become more confident in herself and her abilities thanks to the competition.
“With so many talented women competing, obtaining the title of National American Miss Ohio (‘Miss Ohio’ for short) is once-in-a-lifetime,” she said. “While winning is obviously the ideal outcome, the main reason that I’ve been coming back for 12 years is because of the incredible friendships and cherished memories that I’ve made.”
Making an impact at Miami
Jacobs, who is a member of Miami's Honors College, has been active on campus through numerous organizations, including Chi Omega sorority, UP Magazine, the Honors Student Advisory Board, and the Panhellenic Association.
“In each of the organizations I’ve joined at Miami, I’ve worked my way up to leadership positions and the experience has been invaluable,” she said.
In Chi Omega, she was elected to the executive board as a sophomore, one of nine women representing more than 200 members. She was on the Honors Student Advisory Board her sophomore year, too.
As a junior, she was elected executive vice president of the Panhellenic Association, which encompasses the thousands of women in all 17 sororities on campus, and became a staff writer for Up Magazine.
The leadership roles allowed her to collaborate with other student leaders, Miami faculty, as well as officials from national organizations such as the Chi Omega headquarters and the National Panhellenic Conference.
“I feel honored to have been entrusted with leadership positions for different groups of the student body,” she said, “and I hope that I’ve made as positive of an impact on Miami as it’s made on me.”
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg.
