If you’ve gone to the Pulse and been greeted with a giant smile, there’s a good chance you ran into Julia Miller.  

The fourth-year Humanities student is passionate about creating spaces that are welcoming to all. She’s worked at the Pulse Fitness Centre for four years, and is known for being a powerful advocate for accessibility and inclusion, as well as bringing a smile to people’s faces each day.   

McMaster runs in the family for her: She’s the third generation in her family to go to Mac, following her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. “We’re a very Hamilton-oriented family.”  

She grew up visiting her grandparents in Westdale and hearing stories about McMaster. “My grandparents and my parents, they loved this place. Some of them went on to do their master’s at other universities, but Mac was always their number one.”  

“I wanted to see what they were talking about, since you can only say so much,” Miller said. “You really need to experience campus in order to see how amazing it is.”  

Getting involved

The summer before first year, she applied for a support staff job at the Pulse Fitness Centre. In high school, she was quiet and unsure of using her voice, Miller said. Working customer service at the Pulse and having conversations with people made her realize that she was a talker.  

Over the four years she’s been working at the Pulse, she’s gotten to meet students, professors, community members and other employees who use the space. “It’s been really fun getting to know them on a day-to-day basis every time they come into the gym.”  

“I’ve had people from first year who still keep up with me. Some of these are PhD candidates and I’ve seen them become doctors. It’s really, really cool being able to watch other people grow and achieve their goals.” 

From the Pulse, she began to seek out other opportunities within Athletics and Recreation and her program in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies. “I really just wanted to get involved as much as I could, to grow this extroverted personality that I found.”  

Miller has worked with Outdoor Recreation, McMaster Camps, and the David Braley Sport Medicine & Rehabilitation Centre, and served as president of the McMaster Student Recreation Council.  

In spring 2025, she was named the recipient of the LIVunLtd Fitness and Well-being Scholarship, recognizing her significant contributions to shaping a more welcoming, supportive and empowering recreation environment.  

This summer, she’s working as a camp counsellor for the Sport Fitness School, leading outdoor adventure-based challenges.  

She’s also one of the SFS team leads who creates the game plan for each week. “It’s going to be two great months of camp and it’s going to be so much fun.”  

Being involved in the SFS is more than a summer job for Miller – it’s about helping kids who might be afraid to speak up and get involved, because “every single person will bring something really fun and interesting to the table,” she said.   

“I always have a spot soft for younger individuals, which might be because I am an older sister,” Miller said. “I want to be that person… to make sure that they have someone to help them flourish and create fun memories.”   

The leadership skills she gained in Athletics and Recreation extended to her academic life, as well: Miller was the president of the Classics Club, the undergraduate student representation of the Greek and Roman Studies department, and was part of the ad hoc committee that proposed the next chair for the department.  Recently, she was awarded the A.G. McKay Prize in Greek and Roman Studies scholarship and the Humanities Medal for Special Achievement, in recognition of her outstanding achievement in scholarship and leadership.  

Unearthing stories

In the summer of her first year, she did a dig in Italy at the Villa di Tito Archaeological Project, directed by Martin Beckmann (McMaster) and Myles McCallum (Saint Mary’s University). It solidified her love for archaeology: “I was able to unearth bricks and pottery. I saw a coin. I saw beads. I saw bones.”   

“It was just surreal, like my textbook literally came to life.”  

She loves that archaeology unearths stories for people who weren’t able to have a voice in the past: “Not everything is documented with text, so you actually have to go into the ground, into the dirt and see what stories have been not yet been told.”  

She’s passionate about the coinage of ancient Greece and Rome, and in the fall did a presentation on the coins minted during the Julio Claudian dynasty.   

“It was the first presentation I’ve done in what felt like years. I was shivering before walking into the room,” Miller said. But as soon as she started, her words came smoothly, and it went great. She realized it was just customer service, but she happened to be talking to a classroom of people instead of standing at her desk at the gym.  

“Being in customer service for all that time allowed me to explore those options and realize that presenting is not actually scary. It’s pretty fun, getting to talk more about my niche little interests.”   

Miller graduates this week, and will be heading to Brock University next to pursue her master’s in Classics and Archaeology.  

“I’m really sad to actually be graduating now,” Miller said. “The past four years felt like home… this is what made me who I am today. I really, really appreciated being able to explore all of the opportunities that Mac has to offer.”  

“Everyone is here to help you,” Miller said. “Everyone wants to see you succeed.”  

She’s going to keep exemplifying the community of care that she’s found at Mac, whether that’s extending a hand to a student who wishes to have some extra support or bringing a smile to someone’s face at the gym.   

There will be at least one thing to help her feel at home in St. Catharines: She has a job lined up at the Brock gym.  

“It’s basically what I’m doing now at the Pulse,” Miller said, laughing. “I’m repeating my undergrad experience.”