As the Director of Community Service, Religious Life, and Multiculturalism, Julia del Papa wears many hats. Most of the time she is on-site, volunteering with students, and interacting directly with community members. As the advisor to the Asian Culture Club, she makes sure other organizations are in line with JCU standards and helps organize club events. “I’m a one-person office,” she says. She is often working directly within the community and is rarely found in her office. She is committed to helping students get involved in the many service initiatives offered at JCU and works on finding the right fit for them.
Julia first got into service by wanting to give back for everything she had received. Born to a Japanese mother and an American father, Julia was raised in Rome. As a high schooler, Julia del Papa understood her privilege upon attending Marymount International School. Here she was able to study alongside students coming from various countries, some of which were Embassy and UN students.
Students volunteering for cleanup around Trastevere
She earned her bachelor’s degree in social work and interned with the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) through the United Nations, along with working with other, smaller nonprofits. She has always liked human interactions. “What I can give to you, what you can give to me,” she says. “I see relationships as a continuous exchange.” Julia wanted to give back and do something helpful. She saw the possibility of changing more things at a higher level while seeing what was on the field. Always being in the field in terms of social work was challenging, so she expanded her horizons by studying law and policies and got her master’s in international relations. She began at JCU as a Community Service and Cultural Programs Coordinator, where she was on the field or traveling with students. She found that her passion was serving the community and has been at JCU for nine years.
Julia finds her job very humbling and rewarding. “We are always working with marginalized communities – human beings who have needs and have had terrible things happen in their lives,” she says. She’s been able to have very interesting and meaningful conversations with women at the shelter and with the guests at breakfast distribution. Because of what many of these people have been through, she stresses the importance of “showing the extra care, being extra kind.” It can be difficult to recognize the limits of how much you can give. While being able to foster these human connections seems like a small contribution, it is crucial in being able to understand people’s stories and connect with them on a deeper level. You learn about the discrepancy in the resources you have and the help that you want to provide.
Julia del Papa
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