This week’s hometown hero is Julia Long, a student at East Chapel Hill who is passionate about service and involved in the community. An energetic, bubbly, and wise optimist, she was nominated by her close friend and classmate Aleta Donald.

Long has lived in Chapel Hill since she was four years old. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her cat, Truffles, swimming on the swim team at East, and hanging out with friends. She thinks hard about the problems facing the world and pours her heart and soul into finding solutions.

She worked as a fellow for the North Carolina Coordinated Campaign throughout the summer and until Election Day, working tirelessly to help elect Democrats up and down the ballot. At East, she helped found Eastainability, the school’s sustainability club that installed composting and recycling bins and planted a native plant garden on campus. Long has also been with the YMCA’s Leader’s Club for many years and currently serves on the Exec Board.

Long is interested in the fields of public health, environmental science, and public health–fields that at their core work to improve people’s lives.

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