Julianne Anderson

Julianne Anderson’s passion is outdoor education and recreation.

As Venture Out Trips Supervisor in Recreational Sports, Julianne plans and leads backpacking and hiking trips in wilderness areas for Virginia Tech students and the community. She mentors new staff and supervises and facilitates challenge course sessions. Trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and certified as a Wilderness EMT, she has been a teaching assistant for the Wilderness First Responder class.

Julianne said, “I love introducing people to the wonders of the outdoors and recreating responsibly.” 

Her supervisor said, “I have seen her go out of her way to make staff feel included and welcome. She is a constant presence in our staff community bringing energy and excitement everywhere she goes.”

He continued, “Julianne has been giving her all to Venture Out this semester, training new staff, managing trips registrations, and leading a spring break trip to Florida. The spring break trip was a huge success and was our first completely student staff led trip in recent history. The spring break crew came back singing all the way home and praising their trip leaders for the inclusive culture they built on the trip. We so appreciate Julianne's commitment to Venture Out and her heart for bringing others into our community.”

Julianne said, “To me, civility means acting with courtesy to others in both my actions and my words, even when things aren't going my way. It's taken time to build mental toughness, and that probably comes from being raised by two Army Colonels. I try to maintain my composure and explain my thoughts in a structured manner.” 

She went on to say, “I demonstrate respect by allowing those around me to express their opinions and feelings. I believe that to be a good leader, I also have to be a good follower and listener. I once led a backpacking trip full of participants that were different from me. I learned so much about Muslim prayer schedules and logistics, cultural differences, favorite meals, and differences in how we were raised. That is still one of my favorite Venture Out backpacking trips.” 

Julianne graduated last spring with a Bachelor of Science in Business, Management Consulting and Analytics, with minors in German and Leadership and Social Change. She will complete her master’s degree in Natural Resources in the Center for Leadership in Global Sustainability in summer 2023. Her area of study is climate change. She said that after she finishes her graduate degree, she would like to move west and pursue a career in either sustainability consulting or climate adaptation.

Julianne said, “I am most proud of my ability to care for the people surrounding me in my life. I have learned that taking care of yourself can happen in so many different ways and that it should never be neglected.” 

It is a great honor to present the Aspire! Award for PRACTICE CIVILITY to Julianne Anderson.