Julianne Martz

Julianne Martz is from Bel Air, Maryland and is a junior in Mining and Minerals Engineering with a GPA of 3.73. She says the best thing about being a Virginia Tech engineer is the community. Virginia Tech is a widely recognized school and there are many Hokie engineering alumni that love helping students through their college experience and careers. There are so many times Julianne has been stopped by a fellow Hokie while running errands because she has VT gear on. It is such a strong and helpful community of people that she is so proud to be a part of. When Julianne was in middle school, she dreamed of being an engineer. She wanted to create something that would change the world and make a “greener” Earth. Now that she is at Virginia Tech, she dreams about strengthening community ties and being a helpful Hokie to her fellow mining engineers. After graduation, and once she is in industry, she would love to return to help recruit mining engineers for internships and full-time positions. Career wise, she wants to find ways to utilize naturally abundant minerals to create alternative energy sources that are more environmentally friendly. Julianne says that if she could change one thing, she would have started to learn about her field sooner! Entering college she believed she was going to pursue Biomedical Engineering, and as a result was close-minded towards other majors. When she got to Virginia Tech she learned of Mining Engineering and immediately fell in love. She only wishes she could go back in time and find this interest sooner so she could have a greater knowledge on the discipline.

Julianne is involved with the College of Engineering as she is a NACME Scholar, active member of Alpha Omega Epsilon Sorority, and will be a TA for Mine Surveying and Mapping in fall 2021. She also participates in internal and external philanthropies with her sorority. Outside of her sorority, she enjoys volunteering with Feeding America and the Special Olympics. In her free time, she loves being outside. Whenever she can she is outside running, hiking, paddle boarding, or kayaking.

Julianne says that one of her role models is her father. He is the most hardworking and determined man she has ever met. He has an amazing work ethic and sense of motivation that has led him to achieve multiple successes. He is an incredible man and she is beyond grateful that he is her dad. Julianne also mentioned she has an older sister, Alex, and a dog, Sawyer, who you can find on their walks on campus everyday after class! Julianne also mentioned her favorite cartoon character is Curious George. She says he is just the cutest little monkey that taught her to always explore and learn when growing up. Julianne also shared that her favorite genre of music is classic rock. She mainly adopted this from her parents who grew up listening to Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, and The Rolling Stones.