Classmate Profile: Julia Gregory
For many college students, leaving your hometown behind for a new campus is often their first experience having somewhere new to call home. Julia Gregory is not one of those students.
While she might call the Washington D.C. suburbs of Fairfax home, Gregory is somewhat of a global citizen. Her mother lives in a bustling city in Rwanda, which Gregory describes as incredibly modern and metropolitan. Gregory had the opportunity to study abroad in Seoul, Korea. She raved about the food and culture, remarking on how kind the residents of Seoul are — especially compared to New York’s northeastern air of indifference. Someone was always willing to lend a helping hand to Gregory, whether it be directions navigating the lively downtown or breaking down the language barrier.
Gregory may not be fluent in Korean, but she is an experienced student of another East Asian language: Chinese. Gregory has been studying the Chinese language since she was in high school, and fell in love with it. Gregory has since taken up East Asian studies as her second major, leaving plenty of opportunities for Gregory to combine her love of traveling and writing in the future.
New York seems like the perfect place for someone so engrossed in global cultures, but Gregory is actually a transfer student. She originally attended George Mason, a public university with about the population of NYU, but set on rolling green fields outside of D.C. instead of the urban chaos that is the Village. George Mason’s offering of the typical college experience — Friday night tailgates, afternoons on the quad, a lush, tree-lined campus, and a football team — seems idyllic for some, but Gregory had her sights set on something more.
NYC’s chaotic nature was actually the selling point for Gregory. She had always hoped to go to NYU, enthralled by the city’s constant action. Gregory and I bonded over similar fears of missing out on New York’s revolving doors of avant-garde art exhibits, jam-packed nightclubs, political marches, amateur comedy shows, Broadway musicals, globally-renowned restaurants, street performers, and every other attraction imaginable. Especially given that Gregory transferred to NYU amidst a global pandemic, the anxiety over missing out on all of the cultural events the city has to offer has certainly taken its toll on Gregory. For a person who genuinely takes pleasure in being around other people, being advised to do the opposite of that in fear of catching a deadly virus is less than ideal.
Despite the pandemic, Gregory has still found ways of enjoying all that New York has to offer. She has had plenty of opportunities to explore outside of the Washington Square Park area, but maintains that the West Village is her favorite place in the city. The charming cafes and narrow cobblestone streets can certainly feel like a European getaway instead of New York City, so it’s no surprise that world traveler Gregory loves it so much. She gushed over her love of old architecture, much more captivated by the West Village’s ornately designed brownstones than the cold modernity of Midtown’s boxy glass luxury apartments. Despite having roots all over the globe, Gregory couldn’t be happier to call New York her home.
