Congratulations to senior, Julia Taylor for being named St. Paul Academy and Summit School’s recipient of the 2025 Athena Award! Julia has been a standout member of our athletic program throughout her entire SPA career. As a three-sport student-athlete, Julia’s contributions to the volleyball, basketball, and track & field programs have been invaluable. The accolades she has earned along the way while maintaining success in the classroom further highlight her excellence on and off the court/track.
In basketball, she is a 4x letter winner and 2-year captain. Julia has been an unwavering leader, even when the program faced adversity. As one of her teammates stated, “Julia always has a positive attitude and looks out for her teammates on the court and in school. She includes everyone, goes out of her way to help others, and tries her best, even when she’s tired or upset.” Her basketball success is further highlighted with All-Conference honors, All-Conference Honorable Mention, 2x Academic All-State Gold Honors, and multiple other SPA-team-specific awards.
As Captain of the track & field team, Julia has garnered All-Conference Honorable Mention awards 3x. She particularly excels as a jumper. In the long jump event, she consistently finishes on the podium in huge meets, including; Section 3AA True Team (1st), 3AA Championships (4th), IMAC Conference Championships (4th), and the IMAC Conference Relay Championships (1st), just to name a few. As a triple jumper, she performs strongly as well, including 4th at the IMAC Championships, 8th in Section 3AA Championships, 4th in the Section 4A Championships, and has finished first on many occasions at various Invitationals. Additionally, she has earned Academic All-State honors in track & field.
Lastly, Julia is a 2x Varsity letter winner for the volleyball program. On this team, she further exemplifies a dedication to the SPA community and her peers. Whether on the court or from the sidelines, Julia exemplifies the “essence of all that is noble” which the Athena Goddess is known to have possessed.
When Julia is not competing, she supports her community in many other ways. At SPA, she is a member of the Student Intercultural Life Committee (SILC), Common Ground (Students of color) Affinity Group Leader, Intercultural Club Participant, Black Affinity Group member, sings with our Academy Chorale, and assists as a volunteer basketball & track coach at our Lower School. She also volunteers with the organization, Self-Made Not-For-Profit, and in a variety of other school mentorship programs and leadership roles.
The Athena Award is given to the “outstanding senior female athlete” in each school based on excellence in individual sports or for participation and accomplishments in team sports. Athena is the Goddess of Wisdom and Skills. Legend tells us that she possessed the gifts of bravery, dignity, power, and youth, making her invincible. Julia will be recognized at the St. Paul Athena Award banquet in April. Congratulations to Julia and all of our Athena Award finalists on outstanding Spartan athletic careers!
