“Thank you so much for investing in my future so I can do the same one day for other students,” Burk said. “People with great minds can now achieve their goals.”
Julia Burk knew she wanted to be a Bronco as soon as she toured the engineering campus and saw how local companies invested in students.
“I toured Western and was pulled aside by a faculty member who asked if I would be interested in the Paper Engineering Program,” Julia said. “I liked how interactive and supportive the staff was.”
Julia now majors in Paper Engineering and stays heavily involved on campus. She is a member of Lee Honors College, Alpha Lambda Delta, the Bronco Marching Band and Solid Grounds Student Ministry.
She has been awarded the Paper Technology Foundation Scholarship and the College of Education and Applied Sciences Dean’s Scholarship at WMU.
Julia said these scholarships have been beneficial to her in multiple ways so she can move forward with her academic career.
“I had a limited amount of support from my parents,” Julia said. “The Dean's scholarship made me feel like college was actually accessible. The scholarship is a way for me to give back to my parents by allowing them to have fewer financial burdens.”
Julia also explained how being awarded the scholarships relieved some her stress, which allowed her to focus more on academic success.
Many scholarships at Western Michigan University are funded through the support of alumni and friends. Julia expressed how appreciative she is that people give their money to help her achieve academic success.
“Thank you so much for investing in my future so I can do the same one day for other students,” she said. “People with great minds can now achieve their goals.”
After Julia graduates in 2021, she hopes to become a paper plant engineer working in environmental research. If that doesn’t happen, she said she would like to work at a research lab developing new products.
In her spare time, Julia enjoys playing guitar, painting, making art, writing and expressing herself creatively.
She is just one of thousands of students well on their way to reaching tremendous heights and with your support, you can help many more Broncos do the same.