Julia Nelson

Alumni

Julie was a single mother of four children living in Garden, Michigan when she enrolled in Bay College for the fall semester in 1988. That semester, she discovered she excelled in biology, as well as rhetoric and composition. Julia completed an internship with the Michigan Department of Natural Resource’s Fish Hatchery in Thompson, Michigan while completing her degree at Bay College, working, and raising her family.

While at Bay, Julia was active in the art club, Bay Beacon, Phi Theta Kappa and was a finalist in the Student Commencement Speech Contest. She is active with the Salvation Army, OSF St. Francis Hospital OB Unite and with fund drives for the Garden Congregational Church. She is a certified life guard, rock wall climbing instructor, and has her CPR PRO certification. She is working on addictions counseling certification and rope course certification.

Julia completed the requirements for a certificate in wildlife management in 1999, an Associate of Applied Science degree in 2000 and an Associate in Arts degree in 2001. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in 2005 from Governors State University and is currently completing the requirements for her Master of Arts degree at Michigan State University.

Following her graduation from Bay, Julia was hired as a youth specialist at Bay Pines Youth Treatment Center in Escanaba, Michigan. She received the Director’s Award in 2005, which is given to individuals that successfully meet the mission of the treatment center.