Meet Miami U

Set on Lake Michigan, just off busy DuSable Lake Shore Drive, is a Chicago institution: Shedd Aquarium. Julia Holzl ’24 knows it well. In fact, she grew up visiting Shedd on school trips or on weekends with her family. Now, she’s back in the city she grew up in and serving as the aquarium’s brand and content marketing coordinator. 

“If my college self could see me right now,” Holzl said. “I think she’d be surprised and really thrilled. I think she’d be most surprised where I’m working.”

Holzl has what she describes as her “dream job at her dream institution” just one year after graduating from Miami in May, 2024. 

“Working for Shedd and working for an organization in the Midwest that promotes coming in, exploring nature, and getting eye-to-eye with these animals and aquatic life is really rewarding,” Holzl said.

Putting Her Miami Degree Into Action

Every day, she works with the aquarium’s marketing team to write copy and maintain brand consistency. Just a few floors below the office where Holzl works, thousands of people a day come to see the aquatic life that lives there and explore the exhibits. When those visitors browse Shedd’s website, receive emails from the aquarium, or see social media posts, they see her writing in action. 

“Honestly, I don’t think I could have picked a better two majors to align with this position,” Holzl said, who studied professional writing and strategic communication. “Strategic communication, it’s in the name, learning how to communicate effectively. And then professional writing. Learning not only how to write, but also how to edit my own work and other people’s work, follow style guides, and apply brand principles.”

Blending Work and Passion Together

One of the things she likes most about Shedd’s mission is their efforts to promote conservation and sustainability. Synthesizing the research that the aquarium’s experts produce for general audiences to read and understand has become a fun challenge for her. The “coworkers” she can visit in Shedd’s many exhibits don’t hurt either. And, she isn’t afraid to name the one she likes best: the sea otters, for their playfulness. There’s one particular otter with a white face named Luna that she says hi to as often as possible. 

“Shedd’s mission of sparking compassion, curiosity and conservation is something that I see every day here, in every department, and every side of Shedd,” Holzl said. “So it’s been really rewarding, and I couldn’t ask for a better job.”

Holzl explored a few temporary roles after graduation. When she saw the open position at Shedd, she knew it was the perfect combination of her interests and her degree. The motivation to apply came from her college experiences. 

“Miami encourages people to be their best selves and push themselves, whether that be in the classroom or in extracurriculars on campus,” she said. “And I feel like they really prepared me to step into the real world with confidence.”